


Raid of Dream

by twiceasbriight



Series: Masquerade [2]
Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Vampires, another slowburn to the action, buckle up you guys, dc as badass vampires, gahdadong, gay fluff, it'll be worth it I promise, jiyoo, revenge and feels, suayeon, vampire the masquerade royal assassination au part 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:01:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 32,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26711125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twiceasbriight/pseuds/twiceasbriight
Summary: Following the events of the masquerade, Dreamcatcher, fresh from their victory in Starsight, travel to New York to carry out their deadly new mission.ORThe Masquerade sequel.
Relationships: Han Dong | Handong/Lee Gahyeon/Lee Yubin | Dami, Kim Bora | SuA/Lee Siyeon, Kim Minji | JiU/Kim Yoohyeon
Series: Masquerade [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1923748
Comments: 95
Kudos: 181





	1. Deja Vu

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to the world of Masquerade, everyone! Please note that this fic is the sequel to Masquerade, so there will be massive spoilers for it here. If you're a new reader, I highly recommend checking out it first, so you don't get spoiled.
> 
> And without further ado,
> 
> Here. We. GO!

_“You said that we have some kind of personal stake in this mission. What did you mean? Aside from maintaining the Masquerade and avoiding a clan war, that is?”_

_“Oh, you do,” Seungyeon confirms, a determined edge in her voice._

_“I don’t understand.” Minji’s brow furrows in confusion. “Why do we have a personal stake in this?”_

_“Isn’t it obvious?” Jihyo smiles wryly, cocking her head to the side. “You’re going after Vixx.”_

**~ * ~ * ~ * ~**

For a brief moment, everything is silent, like the collective shock and disbelieving eyes have stolen the air in the board room and replaced it with a blanketed, breathless hush. The silence hangs in in the air until Siyeon takes an audible, shuddering breath; whether to shout or cry or exalt, Gahyeon doesn’t know, and then the room explodes into a cacophony of exclamations.

Yoohyeon, Handong, Yubin, and Bora are on their feet, shouting a tangled mixture of expletives. Gahyeon watches, stunned, as Minji maintains her composure, the only hints at the emotion bubbling beneath the surface is the way her jaw clenches, the way her eyes tighten and her knuckles whiten as her hands form fists atop the table.

And Siyeon curls in on herself, face pale, eyes so wide that Gahyeon can see the way her pupils dilate with fear, can see the way she swallows hard, the way her arms wrap around her knees, pulling them to her chest as tightly as she can, the way she swallows hard and shudders in an effort to stop herself from hyperventilating, and Gahyeon’s heart wrenches in her chest at the sight of her unravelling with primal terror.

Gahyeon is half-standing before she can think, ready to run to Siyeon, but Bora practically doubles over at the intensity of the fear Siyeon is emanating and whirls around to face her.

“Siyeon!”

Bora drops to her knees in front of her girlfriend, reaching up to cup Siyeon’s face.

“Hey, hey, hey, Singnie, baby, look at me.” Despite the urgency in Bora’s voice, she strokes Siyeon’s face and trembling lips with gentle, steady fingers.

The shouting from the others quickly fades into silence as they realize what’s happening, and they all back up, giving Bora and Siyeon as much space as they can, exchanging worried looks.

Slowly, between harsh, staccato breaths, Siyeon lifts her head enough to meet Bora’s eyes. Bora exhales with relief, giving Siyeon a soft half-smile.

“That’s it, that’s my girl,” she says, sliding her hands down to gently, slowly pry Siyeon’s fingers open from where she’s gripping her knees to her chest. Bora clasps Siyeon’s hands to her own chest and then intertwines them with hers. “Come sit with me?”

Siyeon nods, trembling.

“Okay,” Bora rises to her feet slowly, giving Siyeon time to gather enough focus to stand.

Siyeon gets up, breathing hard, and Bora leads her to the wall facing the entrance to the board room. She positions them so Siyeon’s back is against the wall, and Bora is in front of her. Bora kneels again, and Siyeon follows suit, pressing her back up against the wall as much as she can. Bora is short enough that Siyeon can easily see the door over her shoulder.

“That’s it, baby. Keep your eyes on me, okay?” Bora strokes Siyeon’s hands with her thumbs, her voice low and soft and reassuring. “You’re safe.”

At that, the tears brimming in Siyeon’s eyes spill over and streak down her cheeks. She ducks her head, shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs.

Bora’s breath hitches in her throat, and she leans in to gently brush Siyeon’s tears away with her thumbs. She tucks a lock of Siyeon’s hair behind her ear, smoothing the strands with gentle motions, and then presses her forehead to Siyeon’s.

“You’re safe, baby, I promise,” Bora breathes, eyes searching Siyeon’s.

They stay like that, foreheads pressed together, eyes soft with love and affection and filled with old pain, shaky breaths mingling, and Gahyeon thinks it’s like they’re in a little invisible bubble of comfort, like Bora and Siyeon’s world has narrowed to just the two of them, like they’re the only two people left in the world, like they can’t possibly be more connected, more intertwined, like they can’t possibly love each other more.

It’s so breathtakingly, achingly intimate, Gahyeon can’t help but feel like she’s intruding. She averts her gaze, looking over the rest of the room instead. Yoohyeon, Handong, and Yubin have returned to their seats, and are sitting quietly, watching to make sure Siyeon is okay. Gahyeon flushes, realizing she’s still standing and sits back down.

Gahyeon glances over at Jihyo and Seungyeon; Seungyeon’s lips are pressed together, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Jihyo looks emotional, too, but like Minji, she does her best to maintain her composure, her fingers tapping quietly on the thick folder in front of her.

As the tension in the room slowly fades away, Siyeon lifts her hands from where they press into the floor to hold Bora’s face in her hands, mirroring the way Bora is holding hers. She brushes Bora’s cheekbones with her thumbs and closes her eyes, and a tear slips down her cheek, streaking down her jaw. She takes her first even, steady breath for the first time since Jihyo’s announcement.

“I’m safe.” It’s barely audible, like a breathless whisper, but Bora nods fervently.

“You’re safe,” Bora repeats. She closes the barely-there gap between them, pressing a soft, brief kiss to Siyeon’s lips. “I love you.”

Siyeon smiles, tracing the planes of Bora’s face with her fingertips. “I love you, too.” She gets up on her knees, and Bora looks up at her, eyes still filled with concern. “I’m okay,” Siyeon reassures, “I promise.” She links their fingers together. “Let’s do this.”

Bora smiles back, a spark of playful affection in her eyes.

“Yes, ma’am.” Bora follows Siyeon to her feet, and they return to their seats.

Minji gives them a once-over to make sure they’re okay, before turning back to Jihyo.

“Okay,” Minji says. “Tell us everything.”

To her credit, Jihyo doesn’t miss a beat.

“Here’s the plan,” she begins, opening her folder. “We’ve arranged for you to stay at a hotel in Times Square, close to Vixx’s headquarters, so you won’t have to go far to get this done. The two undercover agents who discovered the plot will meet you there. They’ve been keeping an eye on the headquarters for the last few weeks, so they’ll give you all the details about when and exactly how to infiltrate the building.”

“Here’s your itinerary,” Jihyo takes out a few papers from her folder and passes them to Minji. “Your plane leaves tomorrow morning around seven; my driver will pick you guys up at the front of the building around four and take you to the airport.” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a thick envelope. “This is to pay for your Ubers and whatever food you guys wanna order while you’re there. I’ve already paid for the hotel, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Jihyo passes the envelope to Minji, who places it on top of the itinerary papers.

“Thank you,” Minji says. “Do you know how long we’ll be there for?”

“Two days at the most, so pack light,” Jihyo advises. “We’ve prepared one of the apartments a couple floors down for you guys to stay in tonight. I left some carry-ons inside, so that you don’t have to take everything you brought here on the plane.”

“Fair enough, thank you. Is there anything else we need to know before we go?” Minji asks.

Jihyo nods. “Two more things,” she says. “If your anonymity is blown before you can complete the mission, they won’t let you out of there alive, and the mission will fail. From what my agents have told me, Vixx is just _days_ away from putting their plan into motion; we won’t have a chance to send in another team. Do you understand?” There’s an undercurrent, an edge in her voice that wasn’t there before; Jihyo is desperate.

Gahyeon’s eyes widen as a bolt of understanding strikes her.

_The end of the world._

Minji swallows hard. “I understand.”

“Good,” Jihyo says. “I wish there was another way to do this, I really do, but my hands are completely tied,” she spreads her hands helplessly. “I can’t go in guns blazing with well-known clan members and openly kill them; it’d start the same clan war that I’m trying to prevent. This requires an anonymous surgical strike that I’m just not capable of performing.” She sighs heavily, “I’m sorry.”

Before anyone can speak up, she takes a deep breath and shakes her head slightly, like she’s suppressing the inner conflict waging inside her.

“But on a brighter note,” Jihyo continues, “When you come back, Twice will provide you with a headquarters to call your own in any location you choose, plus enough money to tide you over and then some, until you open your own business or find a way to support yourselves like the other clans. I know you’ve been living in a tiny apartment above your bar until now, “Jihyo smiles affectionately. “You won’t have to live like that again, I promise.”

“Holy _shit_ ,” Bora says, her eyes wide.

Gahyeon’s jaw drops.

_A whole building?_

“Just like every other clan,” Minji whispers, her shock and appreciation audible.

Jihyo’s smile widens. “Exactly like every other clan. You can start building a future, a real one this time, without fear of needing to stay hidden.”

“I – I don’t know what to say,” Minji looks over at Yoohyeon, her eyes shining with hope. Yoohyeon smiles at her girlfriend, squeezing her hand.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Jihyo waves Minji off. “You’re saving the world, after all.”

Minji laughs, and it’s like the solemn, heaviness that’s permeated the room until now scatters to nothing.

“Now, you’ll be staying in number seven, two floors below, okay? Here’s the key,” Jihyo reaches into her folder one last time to pull out a key attached to a ring embossed with CLC’s symbol and gives it to Minji. “Get some rest, okay? And take care of yourselves.”

Jihyo looks them over with a mix of concern and affection, making eye contact with each member as they assent.

Satisfied, she stands, closing her folder and picking it up. As she heads over to the door and opens it, she turns back one last time, smiling encouragingly.

“I’ll see you soon.”

And the door closes behind her.

The moment it shuts, the tension that’s constricted Gahyeon’s lungs and pulled her spine taut snaps, and Gahyeon slumps back in her chair, stunned, and suddenly very tired.

She’s barely had the chance to even begin to process the fact that she’s finally free of her hateful family and her ties to Starsight, let alone the fact that she’s a barely trained vampire; the idea of infiltrating an evil clan and killing its leaders to prevent the end the world is practically unfathomable.

 _It’s too much. The stakes are far too high, how can I_ possibly _be meant to do this?_

As Gahyeon ruminates, stress and fear rising in her upper chest and tasting coppery on the back of her tongue, the sound of quiet conversation permeates the overwhelming static of her growing panic.

Gahyeon glances up to see Minji squeezing Siyeon’s hand, Bora with her arm wrapped round Siyeon’s waist, ruffling Yubin’s short hair with her free hand; Yubin with one arm around Handong and the other pulling Yoohyeon towards her, Yoohyeon’s head tipping back with laughter at something Minji said, and Handong looking over at her, at Gahyeon, with an affectionate smile curving her lips, reaching out for her with her free hand.

And as Gahyeon takes Handong’s hand and allows herself to be pulled into this little circle of affection and support from her new family, she finally understands, with an intensity that takes her breath away.

_This is how I’m meant to do this._

Gahyeon smiles as new confidence surges through her veins, blooms in her chest at how welcomed and loved and supported she is.

_Not alone._

They stay like that for a few minutes, embracing and exchanging gentle touches and encouragement until Seungyeon speaks up, a soft smile on her lips.

“As much as I’d love to stay, unfortunately, I have to get going,” she says apologetically. “I have more meetings to run, but I’d love to walk you guys down to the apartment, if that’s okay. We can all catch up properly when you get back from New York.”

“We’d love that,” Minji says, gathering up the itinerary, envelope of cash, and room key, and returning Seungyeon’s smile. “And yes, of course! I can’t wait to hear what you and the girls have been up to since we left for Starsight.”

“I can’t wait to tell you all about it.”

Seungyeon heads over to the door and holds it open, looking back at Dreamcatcher expectantly. Gahyeon follows her members through the door and thanks Seungyeon as she passes her.

Seungyeon closes the board room door behind them and leads them back to the elevator. Once the doors open, they all pile inside. Seungyeon presses the button for the forty-seventh floor, and the doors close.

It takes only a few seconds before the elevator slows to a halt at their floor. The doors slide open, and Seungyeon leads everyone out into the hall and to the right.

“The top ten floors are reserved for the leaders of CLC and the other high-profile members,” Seungyeon explains as they pass by numbered apartment doors, “But we keep a few of them vacant in case of unexpected guests. Each floor has seven three-bedroom apartments; you guys will be staying in the seventh on this one.”

Moments later, they reach a wooden door with a golden number seven printed on it. Seungyeon steps to the side, allowing Minji to move forward and unlock the door. Minji opens the door, but before any of them can enter, Seungyeon speaks up again.

“I have to go now, I’m so sorry,” she checks her watch and her eyes widen. “Shit, I’m late, I’ll see you guys soon!” She gives everyone a quick hug. When she gets to Gahyeon, Seungyeon ruffles her hair affectionately before embracing her tightly. “Be safe, okay?”

“I will! Bye, Seungyeon,” Gahyeon says. “Good luck with your meetings!”

Seungyeon smiles. “Thank you!” As she jogs back towards the elevator, she calls, “I’ll see you soon!”

Once Seungyeon is out of sight, Minji turns back to the apartment door, pushing it open and removing the key, before stepping inside and flicking on the lights.

Gahyeon’s jaw drops; the apartment is gorgeous. The doorway opens into a small, well-lit foyer, which opens further into an enormous den, much larger than the den in their apartment in Starsight. It has three large couches and a huge TV. Between the three couches are their suitcases, clustered together.

Behind the couches is a large dining table made of polished wood, and there’s a full modern kitchen to the left. Next to the kitchen is a hallway leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

As the last of the members enter the apartment and close and lock the door behind them, Minji heads into the center of the den and stands by the suitcases, turning to face everyone.

“Okay,” Minji begins. “I know you’re all exhausted and overwhelmed.” She smiles wryly, emotion simmering behind her eyes. “Trust me, I am too. We have a lot to think about and a lot to discuss, but like Jihyo said, we have an early morning and a long flight ahead of us. Let’s get some rest for now; we can talk everything through on the plane.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Yoohyeon says, stifling a yawn behind her sleeve.

“We’ll split the rooms like we usually do, does that sound okay?” Minji asks.

Everyone nods their assent and begins to grab their suitcases, pulling them into the hallway leading to the rooms.

“Gahyeon, you can share with us,” Yubin says, gesturing between her and Handong, and behind Yubin’s sleepy eyes and tired voice, she sounds almost – nervous?

Gahyeon can’t imagine why Yubin would be nervous, but she can’t help the way her own cheeks flush and her stomach flutters at the thought of sleeping sandwiched between Yubin and Handong again.

“Okay,” she says shyly.

“Awesome,” Yubin breaks into a wide grin, and Gahyeon’s blush deepens.

Yubin and Handong head into the hallway, pulling their suitcases behind them, and Gahyeon picks up her backpack and follows.

The hallway isn’t very long; it has three doors, one at the very end and one on either side. The doors at the end of the hall and on the left side are closed; Gahyeon assumes they’ve been occupied by Minji and Yoohyeon and Siyeon and Bora.

The door on the left is wide open, and as Gahyeon steps through and into the bedroom, she sees Yubin and Handong taking out their sleep clothes from their suitcases, talking quietly in Mandarin.

They look up as she enters, offering her soft smiles, before switching to back to Korean.

“Hey,” Handong beckons her over. “Come on in.”

Gahyeon closes the door behind her and takes a look around the room, eyes wide.

“Oh, wow.”

There’s an enormous king-size bed pressed up against the wall on the left. The bed is covered in a thick duvet and has more pillows than Gahyeon can count. A large dresser is up against the wall on the right, with a TV perched on top, and there’s an empty walk-in closet next to it. An open door opposite the bed leads to what looks like a full ensuite bathroom, and Gahyeon can’t help but be impressed. The whole room, including the ensuite is nearly twice the size of Bora and Siyeon’s room and ensuite in the Starsight apartment.

With her sleep clothes and toiletry bag in hand, Yubin slips into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

“It’s nice, huh?” Handong surveys the room. “I wonder if our apartment in our new building will be like this. It’s been a long time since I lived anywhere with this amount of space,” she says wistfully.

“Did you have a big house before all of this happened?” Gahyeon asks tentatively, placing her backpack on the dresser. She’s almost afraid to pry, but Handong is looking at her with soft warmth and openness in her eyes, and, well, Gahyeon’s been burning with curiousity about Handong since they met.

Handong laughs, deep and low, and husky sound and her blinding smile cause an eruption of butterflies in Gahyeon’s stomach.

“I had a very big house,” Handong says, eyes crinkling. Her smile turns a little sad. “Back in China, my family was extremely wealthy. I had everything. But then I came to Seoul to study, and I was alone, with very little support from my family. And then I was turned, and I met Yubin, and then she and I – ” she looks down, her voice cracking.

Gahyeon remembers that she and Yubin had been through something similar to Siyeon and Bora, and her heart nearly breaks in her chest.

“But even after all of that,” Handong looks at the bathroom, where Yubin is getting changed and washing up, a new smile filled with love and affection on her lips, before returning her gaze to Gahyeon. “I still have everything.”

And Gahyeon can’t help but smile back; Handong’s relationship with Yubin is beautiful. The two of them aren’t as outspoken or loud as the others, but they have a magnetic, quiet intensity and a soft, open affection for each other that Gahyeon both admires and aches for.

_Maybe one day._

Before Gahyeon can respond, the bathroom door opens, and Yubin steps out, yawning adorably. She’s wearing round wire-frame glasses and an enormous t-shirt that falls to her mid-thigh. Sleep shorts just barely peek out from under the shirt, and Gahyeon swallows hard and averts her gaze, her cheeks and the tips of her ears burning.

“It’s all yours,” Yubin gestures at the bathroom with the hand that isn’t holding her clothes and toiletry bag, smiling tiredly.

“Thanks, baby,” Handong presses a kiss to Yubin’s cheek, enters the bathroom and closes the door.

“Hey, Gahyeon,” Yubin puts her stuff away in her suitcase and zips it up. The same nervous quality is back in her voice, lingering behind her eyes as she offers Gahyeon a smile.

Gahyeon can’t help but wonder why she could possibly be nervous; if anything, Gahyeon is the nervous one. The butterflies in her stomach flutter and whirl just thinking about sleeping in the same bed at Yubin and Handong again.

“Hey,” Gahyeon manages to keep her voice steady, and her shoulders nearly slump with relief. She unzips her bag and pulls out her pajamas, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

“How’re you feeling?” Yubin asks, looking up at her as she climbs onto the bed.

“That’s a hard question to answer,” Gahyeon smiles wryly.

“I feel the same way,” Yubin laughs. “It’s a lot, more than I think any of us could’ve expected. But I think we can do it.”

The magnitude, the sheer weight of the mission crashes over Gahyeon once more, nearly stealing her breath.

“How do you know?” She asks, voice small, clutching her pajamas close to her chest.

“Well,” Yubin crawls under the duvet and props herself up against the many pillows. She tilts her head to the side thoughtfully. “We have Minji, the best leader any of us could hope for. We have Bora and Siyeon, the strongest people I’ve ever known, who would burn down the world before they let any of us get hurt. We have Handong and I, the steady backbone, and Yoohyeon, who shines brighter than the sun. And we have you,” stars glint in Yubin’s eyes as she meets Gahyeon’s gaze. “You, who kept fighting even when you were dying; you, who chose to die fighting instead of on the ground. You have more potential than any of us,” Yubin smiles. “How could we not succeed?”

Speechless and utterly taken aback by Yubin’s poetic words and the sincerity in her voice, Gahyeon blinks back tears, warmth and comforting reassurance swelling in her chest.

Just then, the door to the bathroom swings open, and Handong emerges, wearing a loose off-the-shoulder t-shirt and sleep shorts.

“It’s all yours, Gahyeon,” Handong says, dropping her clothes and toiletry bag in her suitcase and closing it up.

“Okay.” Still overwhelmed with emotion at Yubin’s words, it’s all she can get out.

Gahyeon steps into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

The sink is right by the door with a large mirror on top, and as Gahyeon puts her things down on the counter next to it, she glances at herself in the mirror, wincing at how exhausted she looks.

Gahyeon strips off her clothes and puts on her pajamas, brushes her teeth and splashes some water on her face.

As she picks up her clothes, toothbrush, and toothpaste and faces the door, her heart begins to race, the butterflies in her stomach writhing with nerves.

 _Come on, Gahyeon,_ she chides herself. _This is nothing you haven’t done already._

Mildly reassured, Gahyeon takes a deep breath, opens the door, and steps out into the bedroom.

Yubin and Handong are sitting next to each other under the duvet, whispering urgently in Mandarin. They both look nervous now, Yubin’s face is pale, and Handong’s fingers are twisting in the sheets.

_What’s going on?_

The two of them look up as Gahyeon enters and puts her clothes and toiletries away in her backpack, their eyes wide and churning with emotion. Gahyeon isn’t a jack, so she can’t feel what they’re feeling, but it’s not hard to tell that something is definitely going on.

“Gahyeon,” Handong begins, switching back to Korean. She glances over at Yubin. “Before we go to sleep, Yubin and I have something we want to talk about with you, if that’s okay?”

“Of course,” Gahyeon says, looking anxiously between them. “What’s going on?”

Handong shifts, pressing herself further against the pillows behind her, and takes a deep breath.

“When Yubin and I first got together and went through what we went through, we always thought it would be the two of us against the world.” Handong reaches out for Yubin’s hand and links their fingers together. “Once we joined Dreamcatcher, it was the five of us against the world, and then six, once Yoohyeon joined us. But in a different way, it was always still Yubin and I.”

“And then you came,” Yubin says, looking up at Gahyeon with soft eyes and a half smile on her lips. “And then it became seven. But somehow, in that other way, where it was just Handong and I, just the two of us, it became three. You joined us there too.” Yubin swallows hard.

“What we’re trying to say, or ask, really, is – ” Handong’s voice cracks and she breaks off, looking at Yubin.

“Do you want to be with us?”

Gahyeon’s jaw drops. Out of all the things she’d expected them to say, an emotional offer to join their relationship, to be their partner, hadn’t been one of them.

And despite the shock, despite the adrenaline surging through her veins, despite the butterflies erupting madly in her stomach and the way her breath hitches in her throat, Gahyeon knows what she feels, what she’s _been_ feeling. She’s never been so drawn to anyone in her life, has never been so nervous around anyone like this, has never _wanted_ affection and love and care from anyone like this, and it’s a lot, it really is, especially on top of everything that’s happening, so it takes only a moment for Gahyeon to have her answer.

“Yeah,” she says, and it’s almost breathless, the way it spills from her lips.

Yubin and Handong look at each other with wide, disbelieving eyes filled with joy and relief, smiling wider than Gahyeon’s ever seen.

“Oh, thank God,” Handong breathes, and Yubin laughs.

Gahyeon grins too, she can’t hold it back even if she tried, happiness suffusing her chest.

“Can I just say something, though?” She asks shyly, twisting her fingers together. There’s still so, so much racing around in her head, still so much she has to process and understand, and if she’s going to be in a relationship with the two of them, she has to tell them.

“Of course!” Yubin tips her head to the side so it’s leaning against Handong’s. She beckons Gahyeon over. “Come sit on the bed with us.”

Cheeks pink, Gahyeon obeys, climbing up and sitting on top of the duvet by the foot of the bed.

“Before I say anything,” Gahyeon takes a deep breath, heart in her throat. “I have so many feelings for you, for both of you.” She chuckles. “It’s more than I know what to do with, more than I’ve ever experienced before.”

Handong’s eyebrows shoot up. “Ever?”

Gahyeon nods. “I’ve never really had feelings for anyone before; I’ve never had the chance, especially not in the palace. So, when I met you both and my heart started going crazy around you, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I still don’t, really,” she admits. “And I’m nervous and scared, because I have no clue what I’m doing, or how to be in a relationship at all, let alone be in one with two people. I’m afraid to jump right into it with you, especially because you’ve already been together for so long, and I have absolutely no experience.”

“Oh, Gahyeon,” Yubin’s eyes soften with sympathy and understanding. “We’ll take it slow; I promise. We didn’t have any intentions otherwise; we know you’re going through a lot and that you have a lot to process already.”

Relief pours through Gahyeon’s veins, tears stinging her eyes and closing up the back of her throat.

“Thank you,” she’s so overcome, she doesn’t even care that her voice splinters and cracks. “I didn’t want to tell you no, because I want this, I really do; I’ve just been feeling so much, both for you two and about everything that’s been going on, and I need time to take it slow and untangle everything properly.”

“That’s more than okay,” Handong smiles softly.

“Can we – ” Gahyeon breaks off for a moment, meeting Handong and Yubin’s eyes. “Can we revisit this conversation after the mission? My answer is still yes, but I don’t think I’ll be able to properly start processing everything and learning about being in a relationship until it’s over. Would that be okay?”

“Of course, Gahyeon,” Yubin leans forward to hold Gahyeon’s hand with her free one. “We’re just relieved you said yes. You can take all the time you need.”

“And don’t worry,” Handong reassures. “We’ll go slow and teach you everything you want to know.”

Gahyeon smiles, relieved and elated beyond words. It’s all so much, so much relief and love and affection and happiness blooming in her chest and filling her lungs, and without warning, Gahyeon bursts into tears.

Yubin and Handong are up in an instant, wrapping their arms around Gahyeon tightly and stroking her hair. Tears spill down her cheeks, soaking Handong’s sleep shirt.

“I’m sorry,” Gahyeon says, cracked and broken. She lifts her head. “I never thought I could be wanted like this.” Fresh tears streak down her cheeks, and Yubin reaches up with wipe them away with gentle motions. “I never thought I would be.”

Handong’s eyes fill with sympathetic tears, and she presses a gentle kiss to the top of Gahyeon’s head.

“You’re wanted,” she whispers, and the affirmation only makes Gahyeon cry harder.

It takes a few minutes for her sobs to slow, for her shoulders to stop shaking, and then Gahyeon lifts her head from Handong’s shoulder, her cheeks pink and eyes red. Yubin brushes the last of Gahyeon’s tears off her cheeks with some tissues.

“I’m sorry I’m such a disaster,” Gahyeon apologizes, embarrassed.

Yubin shakes her head. “You’re not a disaster at all.” She meets Gahyeon’s eyes steadily, and her eyes are so clear and warm, filled with so much certainty, Gahyeon knows she’s telling the truth. “Lee Gahyeon, you are a wonder to behold.” Yubin’s voice is filled with the sort of breathless awe that should be reserved for exalting the brightest of stars, for looking upon a goddess come to Earth, and all Gahyeon can do is hold back her tears and smile shyly, her cheeks flushing deeper.

“And so, so beautiful,” Handong adds, tucking a lock of Gahyeon’s hair behind her ear.

“Now I know you’re lying,” Gahyeon jokes, but it’s tinged with insecurity.

“Absolutely not,” Handong says. “I’d never lie to a pretty girl.”

And just like that, the remaining weight of insecurity vanishes, and Gahyeon can’t help but laugh, the tips of her ears burning. She doesn’t know what to say; she’s never been complimented like this before.

“Thank you,” she says, meeting Handong’s eyes. She hopes it suffices.

“You don’t have to thank her for telling the truth,” Yubin smiles crookedly.

Gahyeon ducks her head, blushing even deeper.

“I can hear your heart racing,” Handong teases, lifting Gahyeon’s chin with a finger.

“I’m not surprised,” Gahyeon smiles. “I’m sitting between the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen.” It’s almost instinctive, the playful flirting, and Gahyeon can’t believe it; she’s never been so bold.

Yubin’s smile tilts into a smirk, confidence glinting in her eyes, and Gahyeon knows she’s about to respond with something that’s going to make her blush deeper than she’s ever had.

Yubin looks so handsome like this, all lazy confidence and teasing eyes, and something deep inside Gahyeon, instinctive and wanting, pulls Gahyeon closer, has her raking her gaze over Yubin’s perfect face, before dropping her eyes to Yubin’s lips.

Gahyeon’s breath catches in her throat, then, and she can’t help but wonder what Yubin’s lips feel like, what they taste like, and suddenly, it’s like it’s all she can focus on, the wanting growing and burning inside her veins, surging through her and pulling her even closer.

“Can – can I –” Gahyeon breaks off; she barely knows what she’s asking for, has no clue how to actually put it into words.

“Do you want to –” Yubin can’t even finish asking, before Gahyeon is nodding rapidly.

“Please? Would that be okay?”

Yubin’s smirk softens. “Of course, it would.”

“I’ve never –,” Gahyeon hesitates, embarrassed.

_I shouldn’t’ve brought it up, shouldn’t’ve asked. I have no idea what I’m doing._

Yubin lifts Gahyeon’s chin with a finger, eyes filled with affection and understanding and a glimmer of heat.

“It’s okay,” she reassures, low and husky. “We’ll show you how.”

Yubin leans in, eyes half-lidded, sliding the very tips of her fingers up Gahyeon’s neck to wind through the baby hairs at her nape. Fireworks explode under her skin, lighting her up inside, and Gahyeon’s heartbeat surges in her chest, and she knows Yubin hears it, because her lips tip up again, back into her little crooked smirk. Gahyeon’s breath catches in her throat at the sight of her, at their proximity, at the way the burning want in her chest pulls her closer, and she can’t help but smile too.

Yubin and Handong each kiss Gahyeon once, each so gentle and careful, the way they cup her jaw with shaking hands and press their lips to hers. It’s reverent, almost, and it’s like the first touch of warm sunlight after a long winter, like coming home. She smiles into the kisses, her heart expanding so quickly in her chest, she can barely breathe past it.

(Gahyeon isn’t used to being touched like she’s something precious.)

After, Yubin and Handong move to the sides to allow Gahyeon to climb under the duvet and lie between them. The three of them fall asleep with Gahyeon’s face tucked into the hollow of Yubin’s shoulder and Handong pressed into Gahyeon’s back, arms wrapped around her waist, thumbs stroking soothingly at the soft skin of her stomach, and Gahyeon’s never been so at peace.

**~ * ~ * ~ * ~**

New York is bright and loud, Gahyeon decides. Too bright and loud and blindingly neon after spending so long on an airplane, especially with her enhanced senses, and she’s grateful for the reprieve of the hotel as she and her members check in and head up into their room.

They’ve barely had a time to bring their suitcases inside and admire how jaw-droppingly ornate the den is, before there’s a knock at the door.

With a worried frown, Minji heads back to the door and takes a look through the peephole. After a moment, her shoulders relax, and she opens the door. Gahyeon’s collapsed into one of the leather couches in the den already, so she has to crane her neck over the back of it to see who it is.

There are two vampires standing intimidatingly in the hallway, one with black hair and one platinum blonde, both wearing leather jackets and black skinny jeans, with black snapbacks pulled low over their eyes.

As Minji steps aside to let them in, the two vampires give little awkward waves that defy their intense demeanor and walk in, closing the door behind them.

The blonde tilts her cap up and grins toothily. Gahyeon is no longer intimidated.

“Hey guys,” she says, her voice low and deep. “I’m Byulyi, from Mamamoo,” she quickly removes her right hand from her pocket and pulls up her sleeve, revealing her clan tattoo. “And this is Hyejoo from Loona.”

Hyejoo offers a hesitant smile and a quiet “hey,” and pulls up her own sleeve, revealing a tattoo identical to Jinsol’s on her left forearm.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Minji smiles warmly. “I’m Minji, and this is Bora, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Yubin, and Gahyeon.” Minji points out each member as she names them, and the members all chorus a various tangle of greetings. “Have a seat anywhere,” she gestures at the many very large couches in the den, which are surrounded by suitcases. “Sorry we aren’t better organized, we just got in.”

Byulyi waves her off.

“Don’t worry about it,” she says easily, heading over to the couch opposite Gahyeon and plopping down. “Come on, Hyejoo,” she gestures to the space next to her on the couch.

Hyejoo obeys wordlessly, dropping down next to Byulyi. She takes off her cap and runs a hand through her hair, and Gahyeon’s eyes widen, because with her soft cheeks belying the intense focus and brooding demeanor, there’s no way Hyejoo is older than her.

_She’s so young._

“Okay,” Byulyi claps her hands together. “Let’s get started. Hyejoo and I have a lot to explain and unfortunately, not a lot of time to explain it in.”

With wide eyes, Siyeon, Bora, Minji, and Yoohyeon sit down on the couch next to Gahyeon’s, and Yubin and Handong sit on either side of her. Yubin casually reaches up to drape her arm on the back of the couch behind Gahyeon. She isn’t even touching her, but the gesture has Gahyeon’s cheeks flushing light pink.

“What do we need to know?” Minji asks.

Byulyi leans forward, hands on her knees, intensity surging back through her eyes like a lightning bolt.

“Here’s the deal,” she begins. “At seven tomorrow evening, the leaders of Vixx are having their final prepatory meeting for their coup to take down Twice and take over as the ruling clan of the Masquerade. The plan is for you guys to infiltrate their headquarters, make your way up to the top floor, where the meeting is set to take place, kill every single person in that meeting room, and escape without being caught or triggering any alarms.”

_Jesus fucking Christ._

Gahyeon leans back against the couch, jaw agape.

“Jesus Christ,” Minji breathes, echoing Gahyeon’s exact sentiments.

“How exactly are we supposed to infiltrate their headquarters and get all the way up to their leaders’ meeting room without arousing any sort of attention or suspicion?” Yubin frowns. “The seven of us aren’t exactly inconspicuous.”

“Separately is your best option,” Byulyi answers. “Both for getting yourselves inside and for not drawing any suspicious eyes.”

“We’ve been keeping an eye on the headquarters for a few weeks,” Hyejoo chimes in, “so we can offer you some suggestions.” She pulls out a neatly folded piece of paper from her pocket. “These aren’t the only options, and they won’t work for all of you, but at least they’ll give you a head-start to figuring it out.”

“What are they?” Bora asks, reaching out for Siyeon’s hand. Siyeon takes it, linking their fingers, and Bora begins stroking soothing circles on the back of Siyeon’s hand with her thumb.

Hyejoo unfolds her paper.

“There’s a window on the fourth floor on the right side of the building that’s open twenty-four/seven; a jack could potentially fly in, or if you have any avian shapeshifters, they could do the same.”

Yoohyeon’s eyes light up.

“We don’t have any shapeshifters who can fly, but Bora and I are jacks; one of us could fly inside,” she says excitedly. She turns to Bora. “What’s your upper limit?”

Bora tilts her head to the side. “Thirty feet maybe?” She guesses. “I’ve never had a chance to measure against a building.”

“And yours?” Byulyi asks, looking at Yoohyeon?

“Fifty.”

Byulyi’s eyebrows shoot up.

“ _Fifty_ feet?” She repeats incredulously. “In a single increment?”

Yoohyeon nods, a proud smile forming on her lips.

“We’re a powerful bunch,” Minji smiles.

Byulyi laughs. “I’m starting to see that.” She turns to Hyejoo. “What’s next?”

“Vixx has a nightclub in the basement of their building,” Hyejoo says. “There’s an entrance from the club up into the rest of the building in the back. The club is exclusive, so you need to be on their list to get in, but one of the bouncers, the big one, has a weakness for beautiful women; a jack could easily siren him into letting them in.”

“Are the bouncers vampires?” Bora asks, leaning forward.

“They have two bouncers,” Hyejoo explains. “One is a vampire, and the one we have our eye on to help get you in is human. The club is mixed; for both humans and vampires, so I guess it makes sense for them to have one of each.”

“I’ll take the bouncers,” Bora says confidently. “It should be a piece of cake.”

Gahyeon, who, less than a full day ago, had just seen Bora siren an entire group of humans into freezing so she could kill them all in a matter of seconds, isn’t surprised.

Byulyi’s eyes widen.

“ _Both_ of them?”

Gahyeon is beginning to get the idea that Yoohyeon and Bora had been serious when they said not all jacks have the same power level.

Bora grins and slips into siren for a moment, just deep enough for Byulyi to feel it. Byulyi’s eyes widen, pupils dilating, and she swallows hard.

“Holy shit,” she breathes.

“Like Minji said, we’re a powerful bunch.”

Byulyi laughs. “I don’t doubt it.” She turns back to Hyejoo.

“There’re also a lot of vents and grates of various sizes all around the building that a shapeshifter could crawl into,” Hyejoo suggests, folding up her paper. “It would be easy for them to make their way through the ducts from the main floor up to the meeting room.”

“I’d give it a try, but I don’t think I’d fit,” Siyeon says, deadpan.

Everyone bursts into laughter, save for the two newcomers.

Hyejoo looks around at the members, confused.

“I’m a wolf,” Siyeon explains between giggles.

Hyejoo’s eyes light up.

“Me too!”

Hyejoo smiles excitedly, but before she can say anything else, Byulyi speaks up, looking over at her.

“I know how much it means for you to find another wolf,” she smiles gently, “but we need to get them briefed as fast as possible, so we can get back to keeping an eye on the headquarters. We’ll be heading home once it’s all over, so you can talk to Siyeon and get to know her as much as you want after, okay?”

Hyejoo looks crestfallen.

“Okay.”

“I’ll give you my number, so you can message me whenever you like!” Siyeon offers. “Maybe we can hang out in Seoul after all of this is finished.”

Hyejoo smiles widely, gratitude shining in her eyes.

“That would be awesome,” she says shyly.

“Do you have a pen?” Siyeon asks. “I’ll write it on the back of your paper.”

“I have one in my carry-on,” Yubin volunteers. She rises from the couch and heads over to the little blue book-shaped backpack perched on top of her suitcase. After rummaging around in it for a moment, she pulls out a pen and brings it to Siyeon, before sitting back down next to Gahyeon.

“Thanks, Yubinnie,” Siyeon says.

Hyejoo passes Siyeon the paper. The latter tears off a piece at the bottom, writes down her number, and returns both pieces to the excited young shapeshifter.

“I had a feeling you’ll be needing to destroy your list, that’s why I tore off a piece,” Siyeon explains.

Hyejoo looks up at her with a mix of gratitude and surprise.

“I do, actually,” she says, impressed. “Are any of you a fire elementalist, by any chance?”

“I am,” Minji raises her hand.

“Would you mind – ”

“Of course not,” Minji waves her over.

Hyejoo gets up and walks over to Minji, proffering the larger piece of paper. Minji takes it, and with a barely-there spark, the paper dissolves into ash.

“Thanks!” Hyejoo says, returning to her seat. “And thank _you_ ,” she looks over at Siyeon. “I’m excited to get to talk to you properly.

“It’s my pleasure,” Siyeon smiles widely. “I’m looking forward to it too. I know how hard it is to not have someone who shares your animal to share your experiences with.”

“Speaking of small shapeshifters, though,” Byulyi prompts, gently returning the conversation to the topic at hand. “Do you have one?”

“I’m a cat,” Handong says, interest sparking in her eyes. “I could definitely fit.”

“Perfect!” Byulyi sits back against the couch with a grin. “Those were all the ideas we were able to come up with; you guys will have to figure out how to get the rest of you inside.”

“I remember what the Vixx tattoo looks like,” Minji muses, frowning slightly. “Maybe Handong could draw it on me and I could use it to get in via the offices I used to work in?”

“That would work!” Hyejoo says excitedly. “From what Byulyi and I were able to see, they don’t check the tattoos by the offices as much as they do by the loading zones in the back. I thought about figuring out a way for you guys to get in from there, but they’re super strict about tattoos on that end. They don’t check as often or as closely from the front.”

“Okay awesome,” Minji says, relieved.

“It’s early afternoon now,” Byulyi says, “So you have the rest of the day and most of tomorrow to scout out the building and figure out a way for the rest of you to get inside.”

“You need to time it perfectly, so that the leaders are already in the meeting when you get to the meeting room,” Hyejoo reminds them. “Once you’ve taken them all out, get out the way you came in without arousing any suspicions and come back here to get your stuff ready; your return flight leaves in the middle of the night, if I remember correctly.” She looks over at Minji for confirmation.

“It does, yeah,” Minji affirms.

“Do you guys have any questions before Hyejoo and I go?” Byulyi asks.

Gahyeon’s brow furrows, but her mind is so busy going over everything they’ve just been told, she can’t think of anything.

After a brief pause, Siyeon speaks up.

“How exactly does Vixx think they’re going to get away with this whole thing?”

Byulyi sits back against the couch with a sigh.

“Twice’s influence in America is relatively weaker compared to in South Korea,” she explains. “And Vixx is the most powerful clan in New York. They have their hands in almost every kind of illegal trade, and they can get away with it because of the sheer amount of influence they have here.”

“Punishment and the influence of the policing clans are distant concepts to them here,” Hyejoo adds. “And they’re so overconfident about it, they can’t even conceive of the idea that Twice would be keeping an eye on them somehow.” She shrugs. “Luckily, even the other corrupt American clans don’t feel the same way. We still have to keep an eye on them, though.”

“How many other teams like you are there?” Yoohyeon asks curiously.

“Quite a few,” Byulyi says. “We get switched out every month or so to watch over different clans, and we get breaks in between. Usually, members of smaller clans are chosen for this kind of work; we need all the anonymity we can get.”

“Fair enough.”

“Is that everything?” Byulyi look around the room. After a brief pause, wherein no new questions are asked, she gets up from the couch, gesturing for Hyejoo to join her. “It was really nice to meet you guys,” Byulyi looks everyone over. “Good luck tomorrow,” she says, a note of solemnity in her deep voice. “Hyejoo and I will be keeping watch nearby. We won’t be able to help or interfere, but you won’t be there alone.”

“Thanks, Byulyi,” Minji smiles. “It was nice to meet you two, too.” She rises, heading over to the door. “Let me walk you out.”

“Thanks, guys,” Siyeon says, offering an encouraging smile and a wave to Hyejoo. “And thank you for your list! It was very helpful; we'll make good use of it.”

“You’re welcome,” Hyejoo smiles back bashfully, joining Byulyi and Minji at the door.

“Message me whenever you’re ready,” Siyeon calls.

“I will!”

Minji opens the door, and everyone waves, thanking the two vampires for their time and their efforts.

“You’re more than welcome,” Byulyi smiles. “Good luck!”

As Hyejoo steps out into the hallway, she slips the piece of paper with Siyeon’s number on it into her pocket and affixes her cap back on her head.

With a final wave and a quiet “good luck!” from Hyejoo, the two vampires head out.

Minji closes and locks the door behind them and drops back down onto the sofa. She closes her eyes for a brief moment, exhaling heavily, before reopening them.

“You heard them,” she says. “We have until tomorrow afternoon to scout out Vixx’s headquarters and and figure out ways for everyone to get inside.”

“So,” Minji leans forward, determination and focus glinting in her eyes. “Let’s get to it.”


	2. Endlessly in Front of My Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone! I apologize for the delay, midterm season has finally hit, and it's been keeping me swamped with schoolwork and studying, but I hope you enjoy this larger-than-usual update to make up for it!

It’s almost odd, Minji thinks, how little Vixx’s headquarters has changed.

It’s located almost exactly between the border of Times Square and a dark, particularly sketchy neighborhood. The building looms over twenty stories high and takes up at least a square half kilometer of space; it’s just as enormous as Minji remembers.

All of the floor-to-ceiling windows around the perimeter are made of translucent glass, and as Minji peers through the ground-floor windows into the building, it’s clear Vixx’s business is booming, just as it’s always been.

The sight of Vixx so successful, so cocky and secure and untouched in their position of power here after everything they’ve done, brings a burning, sour taste to the back of Minji’s throat.

Memories flood her mind’s eye before she can stop them: the work she did for Vixx during her year with them becoming darker, more illicit; her growing suspicions about what kind people she had truly been working for, the nausea rolling through her stomach after being told she was to supervise the torture of two girls for the leaders’ feeding; the way her knees had given out and she vomited on the concrete floor with tears streaming down her face after seeing the girls beaten raw and bloody, sobbing and clinging desperately to each other in their cell; the sheer, absolute revulsion and hatred of Vixx that had scorched her veins, the fury at herself that she’d been too weak, too naïve to see through them until then.

Minji chokes on air, on the tightening in her chest as the memories wreak identical emotions that churn and surge in her gut, and the long-buried voice in her head joins the overwhelming cacophony of phantom retching, broken sobs, and cries of pain.

 _Weak,_ it sneers. _Naïve, stupid, trusting, not_ fucking _good enough –_

Minji doubles over, her knees nearly giving out, desperately digging the heels of her hands into her ears as if it’ll make it stop, as if it’ll finally silence the unrelenting noise and crushing weight of her deepest, most shameful memories.

She’s just barely cognizant enough to keep the burn in her eyes simmering under the surface; despite her turmoil, she can’t break the Masquerade. She inhales deep, shuddering breaths, shoulders shaking, uncaring and heedless as to how undone she must appear right now; she has to make it stop. It’s too much, it’s too fucking much, and just as Minji is about to spiral past the point of no return, Yoohyeon is there. She wraps her arm around Minji’s waist, tugging her close, and presses a kiss to the top of Minji’s head.

“It wasn’t you, Minji, it _wasn’t_ ,” Yoohyeon’s voice is low and steady. “It wasn’t your fault.” She rubs gentle, soothing circles on Minji’s back.

Yoohyeon’s voice and gentle touch break through the raging din in Minji’s mind, like an anchor for a ship lost in thrashing, storming waves.

Minji shudders as her heart-rate begins to slow and the memories bleed away. She buries her face in Yoohyeon’s shoulder, pulling her close.

“Baby, it’s okay; I’ve got you.”

And Yoohyeon _knows_ , of course she does; Minji knows Yoohyeon feels her pain and guilt as if it was her own, is wrecked alongside her every time Siyeon or Bora wake up screaming from a nightmare, every time she wakes up in tears after reliving that day all over again; Yoohyeon bears it all with her with a quiet, steady strength and an endless reservoir of love and comfort. Minji inhales deeply, soaking in the comfort of Yoohyeon’s presence, gratitude for her girlfriend expanding in her chest so quickly, it nearly takes her breath away.

Minji takes a deep breath to compose herself, letting Yoohyeon and her presence ground her for another few moments, before turning to look at her members.

Yubin, Handong, and Gahyeon are looking up at the building with a mixture of disgust and anger, absorbing both the sheer size of Vixx’s headquarters and the understanding that _this_ is where Minji had been forced to do illegal work, where Vixx had tortured Siyeon and Bora for days on end; that this is where everything had begun.

And then Minji’s heart shatters in her chest, because Siyeon and Bora both look like they’re on the verge of vomiting on the spot; tears glimmer in front of the crimson threatening to spark in their eyes, their lips pressed into thin lines, squeezing each other’s hands so tightly that their fingers are white and bloodless.

Usually, it’s Siyeon who is most affected by memories and recounting her and Bora’s nightmarish experience in the hands of Vixx, and usually it’s Bora who’s comforting her and keeping her steady, just like she had at CLC’s headquarters, but to Minji’s surprise, it looks like Siyeon is the one comforting Bora.

Like Minji, Bora looks absolutely wracked and ruined with guilt and pain as she clutches Siyeon’s shirt, her fingers digging into the soft flannel, and presses her face into Siyeon’s neck. Siyeon pulls her close, one hand wrapping around Bora’s waist, and one coming up to stroke her hair. She lowers her head, her lips moving almost imperceptively as she murmurs words of comfort into Bora’s ear.

They stay like that for a few minutes, until the tension in Bora’s shoulders and her grip on Siyeon’s shirt begin to relax. She lifts her head, and Siyeon cups Bora’s jaw, smiling at her softly with so much love and affection, Minji can practically feel it from where she stands more than ten feet away.

“You’re okay, baby,” Siyeon brushes stray tears off Bora’s cheeks, and presses a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose.

Bora smiles back.

“Sorry for soaking your shirt,” she says sheepishly.

Siyeon shakes her head, stroking Bora’s cheekbone with her thumb.

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

With the love shining in her eyes and the barest touch of firmness in her voice, it’s easy to tell that Siyeon isn’t just talking about her shirt.

They’re standing just a few scant inches apart, but Bora throws herself into Siyeon’s arms, nearly knocking her over. Bora wraps her arms around Siyeon, holding her tightly.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She releases Bora and reaches out for her hand. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Bora nods, taking Siyeon’s hand and linking their fingers.

“Okay,” Siyeon begins to lead her back to where Minji and other others are standing. “Come on, pretty. We have some scouting to do.”

Once Siyeon and Bora rejoin the rest of the members, Minji turns to face them.

“Okay, guys,” Minji tucks her hands inside her pocket. “I know being back here is god-awful, and really, really fucking hard, so let’s work fast and find our entry points, and then we can split up like we discussed and have some fun.”

Everyone assents quickly, eager to both be away from the building, and also to finally have some down-time.

“Once you find your entry points, you’re free to go,” Minji finishes. She looks behind her at the building for a moment, before turning back. “Just be back at the apartment by midnight, please. We need to rest well tonight.”

The members agree enthusiastically and begin to disperse. Yoohyeon bumps her hip playfully against Minji, smiling.

“See you in a few, baby.”

Minji’s lips curve wide.

“See you soon.”

Yoohyeon turns somber for a moment.

“Will you be okay?”

Minji nods, her smile softening at Yoohyeon’s concern.

“I’ll be thinking about our plans for tonight,” Minji’s smile tilts crookedly.

Yoohyeon laughs, a flush dusting her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

“I’ll try to not keep you waiting long,” Yoohyeon winks.

She steps past Minji towards the right side of the building, where Hyejoo had directed her to go.

Minji watches her go, affection swelling in her chest. When Yoohyeon turns around the corner, Minji turns back to reexamine the main entrance to the headquarters; with Handong recreating Vixx’s tattoo on the back of her hand to grant her entry, she doesn’t need to do any additional scouting.

But as Minji stays there, looking up at the top floor and contemplating the mission, contemplating the implications of having Vixx’s symbol on her once more, a small quarter-sized spot on the back of her right hand begins to itch.

**~ * ~ * ~ * ~**

It doesn’t take Yoohyeon long to find the open window.

She steps around the corner of the right side of Vixx’s headquarters to see Handong a hundred feet or so away, crouching on the ground, examining a set of grates at the bottom of the building. Yoohyeon slips past, exchanging a quick smile and wave with the other vampire, and continues down the alley. It stretches ahead hundreds of feet; Vixx’s headquarters is enormous, practically the size of a mall.

The open window is located on the fourth floor exactly where Hyejoo had said it would be. The windows in this side of the building are similar to the front: floor to ceiling and made of frosted glass. Yoohyeon’s window is wide open and is located just above a small brick ledge, which will come in handy when she eases herself into the building.

Her entry point located and secure, Yoohyeon takes a quick look around, memorizing her surroundings, before turning around and heading back to meet Minji.

Yoohyeon turns the corner to see Minji in the exact same spot, looking up at Vixx’s headquarters with a faraway look in her eyes, like she’s reliving the past. Her left hand is scratching absentmindedly at the back of her right hand, her nails scoring red lines into her skin.

Concerned, Yoohyeon approaches Minji quickly, reaching out fluidly to stop her from scratching further into her skin. She slides her hand into the hand that Minji had been scratching, linking their fingers and soothing the reddened skin with gentle sweeps of her thumb.

“Hey, baby,” Yoohyeon presses a kiss to Minji’s temple.

Minji blinks, and her eyes clear.

“Hey,” she smiles softly.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Minji leans into Yoohyeon’s touch.

“Where do you want to go?” Yoohyeon asks. Aside from Times Square and a few other touristy locations, she isn’t familiar with New York like Minji is.

Minji hums thoughtfully.

“I want to take you on a date tonight,” Minji’s smile tilts up to the side. “I already know where to take you, but we still have a while until it opens.” She wraps her arm around Yoohyeon’s. “In the meantime, why don’t we just walk around and see where our feet take us?”

“A date and a walk around Times Square?” Yoohyeon can’t help but smile back, nor can she help the surge of affection and excitement in her heart; it’s been weeks since they’ve been able to go out and spend quality alone time together. “That sounds perfect.”

Minji’s smile widens, her eyes crinkling into little half-moons, and Yoohyeon’s heart skips a beat.

“Which direction should we go in?”

“You choose,” Minji pokes the tip Yoohyeon’s nose mischievously.

“Okay,” Yoohyeon gently extricates herself from Minji’s hold, covers her eyes with one hand, points out with her other hand, and spins around in seven quick circles. Dizzy and breathless from laughter, she uncovers her eyes to see Minji giggling. Yoohyeon’s finger is pointing to their right.

“The spinning gods say we go to the right!”

“Then I guess we’d better listen to them,” Minji laughs. She reattaches herself to Yoohyeon’s side, looping her arm around Yoohyeon’s elbow.

“We’d better,” Yoohyeon agrees.

They meander their way through Times Square for the better part of twenty minutes. Yoohyeon’s eyes are glued upwards to the enormous flashing signs and advertisements; there are just so _many_. She points excitedly to a few particular ones that catch her eye as they walk, and Minji shares in her open enthusiasm with wide smiles and matching exclamations.

Yoohyeon revels in the noise and bustle of the crowds, eyes darting around to absorb every possible facet of what times Times Square has to offer; she’s been stuck in Starsight for so long, she’s almost forgotten what it’s like to be able to see and explore, to absorb culture and knowledge from _being_ somewhere rather than just reading about it from a book.

“Hey, Yoohyeon,” Minji stops walking suddenly mid-stride, tugging Yoohyeon to a halt, fresh excitement simmering in her voice.

“Yeah?” Yoohyeon can’t tear her eyes off the sign she’s currently staring at; the flashing lights are almost hypnotic.

“Yoohyeon-ah,” Minji tugs gently at Yoohyeon’s arm.

Yoohyeon can practically hear the pout in Minji’s voice. She snaps herself out of her daze and looks at her girlfriend, who looks close to jumping up and down with excitement.

Minji points across the street.

“Look!”

The store she’s pointing at is called “Exceed in Gaming,” and the storefront is covered with video game-themed memorabilia and graffiti. An LED sign next to the door flashes _IRL PUBG Tournament Today!_ in purple and red.

“Holy shit!” Yoohyeon’s eyes are wide and disbelieving.

“Looks like this is where the spinning gods wanted us to go,” Minji smiles.

Yoohyeon shakes her head and laughs, elated, and as Minji tilts her head, the neon glow of the lights hit her just right, bathing her in soft red and gold. Her teeth glint with it as her smile widens, like a prism refracting the purest of light, and the sight of her all lit up like this, like the sun itself come to earth, takes Yoohyeon’s breath away.

Her thoughts bend away and disintegrate, her world narrowing to _MinjiMinjiMinji_ , and she can’t help but swoop forward and kiss her right there in the middle of the sidewalk. She’s smiling so widely, she can barely kiss Minji properly, but Minji is smiling just as wide, and they give up at the same time, laughing against each other’s lips.

It’s been a long time since Yoohyeon was last out in the streets of Seoul, and she can’t even fathom being able to kiss Minji out in the open there, but here? Here in Times Square, where there are rainbow sidewalks and pride flags hanging from storefronts and balconies and windowsills, they’re free to kiss and touch and revel without anyone batting an eye, and being able to do so makes the open affection even more special and meaningful.

“Come on,” Minji whispers against Yoohyeon’s lips. “Let’s go inside. I don’t want you to miss the cut-off time for registration.”

“Okay,” Yoohyeon whispers back, gratitude and appreciation for her girlfriend blooming in her chest.

Minji links their fingers and leads Yoohyeon across the street and into the store.

Exceed in Gaming is packed to the brim with gaming equipment, video game memorabilia, flashing lights, and _people_. There must be at least fifty customers inside, talking and laughing as they pick out games and equipment, and check out at the counter. Surround sound speakers located at various spots in the store are blasting music, a rap song in a mixture of English and Korean that Yoohyeon’s never heard before, but is instantly addicted to.

As she and Minji head further into the store, looking around with wide eyes, Yoohyeon spots a large plastic table with a competition registration sign on it. Two store employees sit behind it, working busily to register the line of customers waiting in front of them for the competition.

“This place is so cool!” Yoohyeon bounces on her toes with excitement.

“It is!” Minji agrees. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Me neither.”

It only takes a minute or two before it’s their turn to register. Yoohyeon and Minji approach the table.

The employee on the left has long brown hair and a wide, open smile, and the one on the right is blonde, and wearing a slightly cooler expression. They’re both wearing nametags; the brunette’s has _Heeyeon_ written on it neatly, and the blonde’s has _Hyojin_ written on it, next to a little doodle of a lopsided skull.

They’re both vampires, too, Yoohyeon notes with surprise; they both exude charisma in tangible waves, albeit on slightly different wavelengths, leading her to conclude that the two of them are fellow jacks.

“Hey!” Heeyeon greets them eagerly, her voice low and smooth. Hyojin offers them a small, toothy smile.

“Hi!” Yoohyeon says, matching the brunette’s enthusiasm.

“Are you both competing today?” Heeyeon asks, readying her pen.

“No,” Minji shakes her head, smiling at Yoohyeon affectionately. “I’ve never played PUBG in my life; my girlfriend is the big gamer.” There’s a note of pride in her voice when she calls Yoohyeon her girlfriend, and Yoohyeon’s heart swells in her chest.

Heeyeon and Hyojin glance at each other and their smiles widen, their eyes twinkling in the flashing lights.

“What’s your name?” Hyojin asks. Her voice sounds oddly familiar, but Yoohyeon can’t place it.

“Kim Yoohyeon.”

“Okay,” Heeyeon writes down Yoohyeon’s name on her sheet. “And your PUBG ID?”

“Incheon Firefist,” Yoohyeon replies.

Hyojin chuckles. “I like it.”

“Thank you,” Yoohyeon says shyly, a note of pride in her voice.

Heeyeon marks it down on her sheet.

“How is the competition going to work?” Minji asks curiously.

“Basically, we’re going to play three full matches,” Hyojin explains. “Heeyeon and I will be participating too, just for fun. Our coworkers, Jeonghwa, Solji, and Hyelin will be the ones marking down the points and making sure everyone is playing fairly.”

“Each elimination is worth one point,” Hyojin continues, “and each placement within the top ten players is an additional point. Whoever wins will be getting a two-hundred-dollar cash prize and a basket of Exceed in Gaming merch, with some games included. Second and third place will just be getting the merch baskets, and everyone who competes will be getting some fun stuff for participating.”

“That sounds awesome!” Yoohyeon says excitedly. “When does it start?”

“It starts in ten minutes,” Heeyeon says. “You guys came just in time!”

“The competition will be in the PC room in the back,” Hyojin points at an open door towards the back of the store. “We have a ton of PC stations in there, so just pick a vacant one and log in. We have some spare chairs for spectators, so your girlfriend will be able to watch you play.”

“Perfect,” Yoohyeon grins.

“Here you go,” Heeyeon holds out a label with _Incheon Firefist_ written on it in script next to a little ball of orange flames.

Yoohyeon takes it and sticks it to her shirt with a smile.

“I love it, thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” Heeyeon smiles warmly. “See you soon!”

“See you soon!” Yoohyeon and Minji wave at the two vampires and head towards the back of the store.

They step through the open door into a large room decorated with video-game posters and pictures. At least thirty individual PC stations complete with Secret Lab gaming chairs take up the majority of the floor space. The walls are draped with fairy lights, glowing a soft mixture of lavender and gold, and the same music is playing through a set of speakers at the far corner, albeit at a lower volume. There are some spare chairs scattered throughout the room, although Yoohyeon’s view is blocked by groups of gamers standing and talking as they wait for the competition to start.

Yoohyeon spots a vacant station by the door and claims it, grabbing one of the spare chairs, pulling it next to the desk.

“Here,” Yoohyeon holds out the chair for Minji.

“You’re so chivalrous,” Minji teases playfully.

“Yes, ma’am,” Yoohyeon winks. “Just for you.”

Minji giggles and presses a soft kiss to Yoohyeon’s cheek, before sitting down and scooting closer to the desk. Yoohyeon sits in her own chair and moves the mouse to wake up the PC from sleep mode.

The monitor lights up right away, already on the PUBG log-in page. Yoohyeon logs in, waiting patiently for the game to boot up, excited butterflies swirling in her stomach.

Moments later, Heeyeon and Hyojin walk into the room, followed by three other employees – also vampires – who must be Solji, Hyelin and Jeonghwa. Hyojin taps at her phone for a moment, and the music cuts off. She puts her fingers to her lips and gives and ear-piercing whistle. The loud buzz of conversation from the other competitors quiets immediately as they all turn to her.

“Hey, everyone!” Hyelin’s voice reminds Yoohyeon of Bora, similarly loud, like their default sound level is cranked up to a ten. “Welcome to our bi-annual PUBG tournament!”

The competitors cheer and clap, and Yoohyeon and Minji join in enthusiastically.

“You guys already know the rules, so we won’t keep you waiting,” Solji says serenely.

“The match codes are on your desks, just put them in, and when everyone is loaded up, we’ll start the first game,” Jeonghwa adds.

The standing competitors sit down in their seats, and Yoohyeon leans forward, searching her desk. After a moment, she spots a purple post-it note stuck to the side of the computer with the match code written on it.

As she types it into the prompter, Hyojin walks over to the PC station next to Yoohyeon’s and sits down, logging into her own PUBG account. A fresh label is set under her left collarbone; the moniker _Elly Baby_ next to a smiley face with the eyes crossed out. As Yoohyeon watches Hyojin sign in, she realizes with a brief start, that she has a tattoo identical to the smiley on her middle finger.

_That’s so cool._

Heeyeon joins the three of them, sitting at the station on Yoohyeon’s other side. She, too, has a label on her flannel shirt. Hers says _Hani_ , written beside a little red rose.

As Yoohyeon prepares for the match to start, she adjusts her mouse’s DPI to her preferred setting. She hasn’t been able to game on a PC properly in years; she’ll need every little bit of familiarity she can get.

“Yoohyeon-ah,” Minji’s lips brush against Yoohyeon’s ear, sending shivers down her spine. “If you place well, I’ll have something extra special for you when we get back to the hotel tonight.” She slips her fingers under the bottom of Yoohyeon’s shirt to stroke at the soft, toned skin of her lower waist, leaving absolutely no doubt as to what kind of _extra special_ she’s referring to.

Yoohyeon’s breath hitches in her throat. She looks over at her girlfriend, sinking her teeth into her lower lip the way she knows Minji likes, and is rewarded by the sight of Minji’s eyes darkening and a brief flare of heat from her palm on Yoohyeon’s waist.

“I’ll take you up on that,” Yoohyeon smiles crookedly, her voice husky and low.

On their left, Hyojin chuckles, and Yoohyeon remembers with dawning horror that despite her and Minji’s hushed voices, both Hyojin and Heeyeon are fellow vampires and would have been able to hear every word.

“Heeyeon-ah,” Hyojin leans around the back of Minji and Yoohyeon’s chairs, her low-cut top revealing a flash of a tattoo of an upside-down rose on her sternum; a rose that matches the little drawing of the one on Heeyeon’s sticker.

_Oh._

“Yeah?” Heeyeon leans back to look at her.

“I’ll make you the same bet,” Hyojin grins mischievously.

Heeyeon’s smile turns wicked.

“You’re on.”

Yoohyeon’s eyes widen, and she stifles a laugh against her sleeve, pressing her face into Minji’s shoulder to hide her embarrassment.

“Looks like you have some competition,” Hyojin teases Yoohyeon.

Yoohyeon lifts her face from Minji’s shoulder.

“That’s okay,” Yoohyeon matches Hyojin’s playful grin. “It’s what we came here for.”

“That’s true,” Hyojin laughs. “Good luck!”

“You too!”

The first match begins, and Yoohyeon gives it her all. Despite not being very familiar with PC gaming, she makes it into the top ten with a few eliminations, and Minji congratulates her with a kiss on the cheek and a cheer.

The second match ends even better than the first; Yoohyeon has always been able to adapt quickly, and she adjusts to the keyboard and mouse faster than she had anticipated. She places top five with some additional eliminations.

The final match has Minji watching over Yoohyeon’s shoulder with bated breath, her fingers curled around the back of Yoohyeon’s chair. Yoohyeon plays smart, picking her moments to shoot at the other players carefully, adjusting her DPI on the fly when she needs to make long-distance shots, and she’s having an absolute blast.

She’s in the top three with six eliminations and is lining up a sniper shot, when she’s headshot from the side. Her screen flashes _Eliminated by Elly Baby the Crazy_ in red, and Yoohyeon laughs, looking over at Hyojin’s screen just in time to watch her eliminate the final player.

Yoohyeon sits back in her chair, a wide smile on her face.

“You played so well, baby!” Minji presses a kiss to Yoohyeon’s cheek, a note of pride clear in her voice.

“Thank you,” Yoohyeon smiles at her girlfriend. “I did my best!”

“You did great,” Hyojin affirms, offering Yoohyeon a fist bump with a toothy grin.

Yoohyeon returns the fist bump eagerly, the adrenaline from the intensity of her concentration still humming in her veins.

Before she can respond, Hyelin speaks up.

“Well played, everyone!” The volume of her voice has only increased from earlier, and Yoohyeon suppresses a laugh at how much she reminds her of Bora. “Just give us a minute or two to calculate the points, and we’ll announce the winners!”

A buzz of conversation fills the air as the competitors wait to hear the results. Despite Yoohyeon having only entered for fun, she can’t help but be excited, nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She wants to do well, after all, especially in front of Minji.

It only takes a few moments, before Solji stands and prepares to read the results.

“Okay, guys,” Solji’s voice is strong and clear. “Remember, whether or not you placed, you’ll still be going home with some merch, so don’t worry!” She glances at a purple post-it in her hand. “Your top three players are – wait a second. Jjong, can I get a drum roll?”

Jeonghwa snorts, but acquiesces, starting a drum roll against her thighs. It spreads across the room quickly, the other competitors joining in, and Yoohyeon and Minji follow suit, grinning.

“Third place is LisaWaifu,” Solji announces, visibly suppressing a laugh. “You get bonus points in my book for the Genshin Impact ID.”

“Second place is JeanMILF,” Solji doesn’t bother holding back her laughter this time. “Lots of Genshin Impact references today; you also get bonus points.” Behind her, both Hyelin and Jeonghwa crack up.

“And lastly, tied for first place are Elly Baby the – wait a minute,” Solji cranes her neck, searching. “Yah, Ahn Hyojin! You do know you work here, right? You aren’t eligible for the prizes!”

Hyojin dissolves into giggles. Next to Yoohyeon, Heeyeon laughs, throwing her head back. Without responding, Hyojin sticks her arm in the air, giving Solji a thumbs-up.

“Dumbass,” Solji says affectionately, shaking her head. “Anyways, like I was saying, tied for first place are Elly Baby the Crazy, who is ineligible to actually win anything, and Incheon Firefist!”

It takes Yoohyeon a moment to remember that Incheon Firefist is _her_ , but once she does, her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and a wide grin pulls at her lips, a mixture of happiness, relief, and shock surging through her. Minji throws her arms around Yoohyeon, giving her a quick kiss.

“You three can pick up your prizes by the checkout on your way out of the store,” Jeonghwa says. “Just keep your labels on, so we know who you are.”

“Everyone else, you can grab your merch by the merch counter, one of us will be there to make sure everybody gets some,” Hyelin calls.

“Thank you for participating in our tournament!” Solji smiles. “We hope you all had a good time.”

A chorus of “thank _you_!” rises from the participants, and Solji waves them off good-naturedly.

“You’re free to go,” Hyelin adds. “We’ll see you next time!”

Everyone begins to rise from their PC stations and exit the room. Yoohyeon logs off her PUBG account, before standing up and helping Minji out of her chair.

“I see you haven’t lost your chivalrous touch, even after your victory,” Minji teases.

“For you? Never.” Yoohyeon wraps her arm around Minji’s.

“You guys are cute,” Heeyeon says fondly. She logs off her own computer and gets out of her chair. “Come with Hyojin and I to the front, we’ll give you your prizes.”

“And before we forget,” Hyojin adds, eyes searching the room to make sure everyone else is gone. “If you need anything, like recommendations on where to buy _food_ , just shoot me a text.” She passes Minji a business card. “I’ll show you the best place to go.”

Yoohyeon’s eyes widen, and she and Minji glance quickly at each other, before looking back at Hyojin. With the emphasis on the word food, it’s clear Hyojin is referring to finding a place to acquire blood.

“We will,” Minji says, gratefully, accepting the card. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Hyojin smiles. “Now, come on, let’s get you your stuff.”

Hyojin and Heeyeon lead Minji and Yoohyeon out of the PC room and towards the counter. Hyojin reaches under the cash register and pulls out a large basket wrapped in cellophane and covered with ribbons and stickers. It’s filled with t-shirts, hoodies, keychains, and has several games perched on top of the pile of clothes. A white envelope is stuck to the front-most game.

“Holy shit,” Yoohyeon breathes.

Hyojin passes the basket to Yoohyeon, who, despite her height, finds her vision blocked by the sheer size of it.

“The cash prize is in the envelope,” Heeyeon notes.

“Awesome; thank you so much!” Yoohyeon gushes. “I had an absolute blast.”

Hyojin and Heeyeon wave her off.

“It’s our pleasure,” Hyojin says. “It was nice to meet you; I hope we see you back again here.”

“It was nice to meet you, too,” Yoohyeon adjusts her grip on the basket so she can see the two vampires properly. “And I hope so!” 

With a wave from Minji, and quick goodbyes from Heeyeon and Hyojin, Yoohyeon and Minji head towards the door.

Giggling at how ridiculous Yoohyeon looks holding the giant basket, Minji holds the door open for her, giving her an affectionate tap on the ass as Yoohyeon passes her.

“Hey!” Yoohyeon says, mock-affronted.

Minji just laughs, pulling out her phone.

“I’m gonna order us an Uber,” she taps away at her phone for a moment.

“Where are we going?” Yoohyeon asks curiously.

Minji tilts her head to the side, like she’s considering whether or not to continue keeping the location of their date a secret.

“It’s a surprise,” she says playfully. “But I think you’ll like it.”

“You’re taking me on a date, of course I’m going to love it.”

“You’re sweet,” Minji presses a soft kiss to Yoohyeon’s cheek.

It only takes a few moments before their Uber arrives. Yoohyeon and Minji climb inside, carefully adjusting the basket so it doesn’t get bumped on their way in. They buckle up their seatbelts, and after a quick greeting from their driver, they’re on their way.

Fifteen minutes later, they’re pulling up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Yoohyeon’s eyes widen.

“Holy shit,” she whispers.

Minji’s smiling widely, but there’s a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

“What do you think?”

“I think I can’t wait to get inside,” Yoohyeon grins excitedly.

Minji’s shoulders slump with relief.

“Oh, thank god.”

“Let’s go!”

Yoohyeon opens the car door and ducks out, carefully placing the basket on the ground to help Minji out.

With a quick thank-you to their driver, Yoohyeon picks up her basket, and she and Minji head up towards the entrance. Minji holds the door open for Yoohyeon and follows her inside.

“Do you think there’s somewhere I’d be able put this?” Yoohyeon asks as they walk towards the front desk. “Lugging it around for our entire date is going to interfere with hand-holding.”

Minji laughs, pure and bright, and the sound sends butterflies erupting in Yoohyeon’s stomach.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find somewhere to store it while we’re here.”

They step through the hall towards the front desk, and Yoohyeon’s eyes are already darting around, absorbing every single detail of the paintings and statues lining the walls.

The employee at the front desk greets them with a wide smile.

“Table for two?” She jokes.

Minji nods, pulling out her wallet.

“Wait, let me,” Yoohyeon says, switching to Korean. “I have the money in the envelope in this thing.”

Minji shakes her head.

“No way, Yoohyeon-ah,” she replies in Korean. “Twice is footing the bill for our date, don’t worry about it.”

Yoohyeon laughs. “It’s the least they can do.”

“We’re saving the world for them, it definitely is,” Minji agrees with a wink.

Switching back to English, Minji asks the employee if they’d be able to store Yoohyeon’s basket for them while they’re inside.

“Of course,” she says. “We have some lockers on that side, you can lock your things up in one while you walk around.”

“Perfect,” Minji says, pulling some cash out of her wallet and giving it to the employee. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” she says. She passes Minji a key with the number 77 embossed on it, along with the entry tickets. “Here you go.”

Minji leads Yoohyeon to the wall of lockers. Their locker is enormous, likely meant for large suitcases, and it’s the perfect size for the basket. Yoohyeon carefully places it inside, and Minji locks it up with an easy twist of her wrist.

“Come on,” Minji says, taking Yoohyeon’s hand and linking their fingers. “Let’s go inside.”

The museum is stunning, Yoohyeon thinks, modern and well-lit, with wide halls filled with endless pieces of art. Yoohyeon thinks even if she stayed here a week, she wouldn’t be able to see and absorb every detail, but she does her best with the time they have, drinking everything in with wide, excited eyes.

As Yoohyeon admires a marble statue of Athena, Minji sidles up to her, pressing herself close.

“I want to kiss you so badly,” Minji breathes, a smile twitching at her lips. “But they said not to touch the masterpieces.”

Yoohyeon snorts, looking over at her girlfriend.

“Kim Minji,” Yoohyeon presses her hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing. “Did you take me on a date to an art museum so you could drop cheesy pick-up lines?”

“Maybe?” Minji pouts cutely. “But also, because I know how much you love art and history and learning,” she rests her chin on Yoohyeon’s shoulder. “I thought I could kill two birds with one stone.”

Yoohyeon laughs, love and affection for Minji’s thoughtfulness blooming in her chest.

“You, my love, are a work of art,” Yoohyeon’s smile turns sly. “Who sculped _you_?”

“Yah!” Minji blushes, smacking Yoohyeon’s shoulder lightly. “The cheesy pick-up lines are my job. Yours is to look around and enjoy the art.”

Yoohyeon meets Minji’s eyes, leaning in.

“Oh, believe me,” she murmurs, raking her gaze from Minji’s perfect face down her body. “I’m enjoying the art.”

“Kim Yoohyeon!”

Yoohyeon just laughs.

“Okay, okay,” she concedes. “The pick-up lines are yours.”

“Good,” Minji pecks Yoohyeon’s lips. “Let’s keep looking around.”

Over the course of the next hour, Yoohyeon comes to realize that Minji has a seemingly endless supply of art-related pickup lines, practically one for each exhibit they look at.

In front of a Monet: “If I were to tell you I liked your body of work, would you hold it against me?”

(Between giggles, Yoohyeon tells Minji she would.)

As they step up to a sculpture of Aphrodite: “If I were an art critic, I’d give you a ravishing review.”

(Yoohyeon’s lips brush Minji’s ear, “I’d like to ravish _you_.”)

In front of a diorama of a propped-up bicycle: “’Sup, cutie? Want a ride?”

(Yoohyeon smirks. “Baby, I’d ride you all day long,” she says, her voice low and husky.)

(Minji’s face turns redder than Yoohyeon’s ever seen.)

But Yoohyeon’s favourite line comes when they stop in front of a painting depicting a breathtaking sunset.

“Yoohyeon-ah,” Minji leans in, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “I need you to call the Art Loss Register.”

“Why?” Yoohyeon asks, tilting her head to the side.

“Because, you just stole my heart.”

(Yoohyeon kisses her till she’s flushed and gasping.)

And between Yoohyeon’s insatiable curiousity and laughing at Minji’s cheesy lines, Yoohyeon forgets about the mission, forgets about the guilt and the stress. The universe is just her and Minji, wandering around the museum together, carefree and elated, enjoying each other’s company, and Yoohyeon can’t remember the last time she was this happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note: the events of chapters 2-4 will all be occurring simultaneously. Because this story takes place over the course of three days, there's a lot of detail and interactions and fluff that I want to showcase, so chapters 2-4 are all taking place at the same time, over the course of the same afternoon-evening.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Chapter 3 is already partially written, so I'm hoping that it won't take me too long to finish.
> 
> As always, please feel free to follow me on Twitter @precisiyeon for writing updates, and lots of gay-panicking over Dreamcatcher!


	3. Your Two Eyes, Their Glow is Lost

Bora and Siyeon have already seen the very worst of each other, two years ago in the depths of Vixx’s dungeon; broken, desperate, overwhelmed with constant fear and agony, clinging to each other for even the barest of comfort, so as Bora steps around the left side of Vixx’s headquarters, she can’t help but wonder why it’s taken her so long to let Siyeon into the darkest part of her heart, even just for a few moments.

For the last two years, Bora has done absolutely everything in her power to push aside the guilt over everything that happened with Vixx. She’s locked it behind an iron-clad door, far away in a deep, dark corner of her heart, but every time Siyeon wakes up screaming or breaks down in Bora’s arms as she relives the torture all over again, the lock sealing that door shut cracks open just a little bit more.

And when Bora had broken down in front of Vixx’s headquarters, the adamantine doors blown apart and ruined, despite her fears, Siyeon hadn’t run, hadn’t blamed her or hated her for not being able to protect her. She had just held her, wiped her tears, and looked at her with so much love and adoration and empathy in her eyes that it had stolen the breath right out of Bora’s lungs.

Siyeon is Bora’s rock, her other half, the blood in her veins, and the beat of her heart, but despite the comfort and loving words she’d given her, Bora’s guilt, built up over two entire years, is a writhing, ravenous thing, and a few moments of release don't even come close to curbing its strength or its appetite.

 _Later,_ Bora promises to herself, _I’ll talk to her about it later. I can’t keep feeling like this, especially not right before the mission. Especially not before we step back into that god-awful place._

Bora takes a deep breath, feeling just a little better now that she has a plan, and heads down the sidewalk, keeping her eyes out for the nightclub’s entrance.

Unlike the others, Bora doesn’t need Hyejoo’s directions. She knows all-too well exactly where the nightclub is. After all, it’s where she and Siyeon were when Vixx –

Bora clenches her fists, digging her nails into her palms desperately to avoid falling back into memories. The guilt surges back in her gut and up the back of her throat, tasting sour on her tongue, and she has to swallow hard to stop herself from vomiting all over the sidewalk.

Her head throbs with effort as she does her very best to shove it back down again, just for a little while longer, just until they get back to the hotel.

It takes a minute or two of walking, before the sidewalk splits into a fork. One continues straight ahead, and the other leads to the right in a steep decline, almost like an underground driveway. The decline winds into a long ramp, leading to an open set of doors. Above the doors is a familiar neon sign that displays the name _Starlight_ in burning crimson. Multicoloured lights flash from inside, and the heavy beat of EDM thrums in the air, audible even from where Bora stands over ten feet away from the entrance.

Bora’s lips twist at the nightclub’s name.

_Starlight, Starsight. Unbelievable._

The awful irony of it all is not lost on her.

Bora pushes the memories, the guilt, all her raging emotions down as deep as she can with a final, desperate shove. She has to focus on the mission.

Despite the fact that it is still early afternoon, patrons are lined up all the way down the ramp and next to the side of the building, laughing and gossiping as they wait in front of Starlight’s two bouncers for their turn to be allowed inside.

Bora keeps her distance as she sizes the two of them up, careful to not let them see her.

The human bouncer is enormous, clad in spiked motorcycle leathers and black skinny jeans. He leers at some of the female patrons waiting in line, stepping aside to allow them through as they twirl their hair around their fingers and simper up at him, their eyes glittering with promise and hidden intelligence.

Bora’s lips curl into a smirk; it’s clear the human is more notorious for his weakness for beautiful women than he realizes.

_This is going to be easy._

The vampiric bouncer is a bit of different story; he, too, is wearing motorcycle leathers, and he’s at least half the size of the human. Logic would dictate that would mean Vixx had chosen him for his unassuming strength. One wouldn’t expect an average-sized human to be supernaturally strong, after all, but as Bora’s eyes narrow and she examines him further, the way he interacts with the patrons as they try to push past him, they way they obey him after a few moments of hesitation, leads Bora to believe that he’s a jack on the weaker strength and siren spectrum.

Bora can’t help but laugh. It’s doubtful the vampire will even recognize siren when she uses it on him.

 _Very, very easy,_ the Beast Within agrees.

**~ * ~ * ~ * ~**

Maybe it’s due to her panic attack at CLC’s headquarters, maybe it’s because she’d just seen Bora’s seemingly inexhaustible strength and steadiness flag and falter for the first time since Vixx, but as Siyeon makes her way down the alley to the right of Vixx’s headquarters, she finds herself oddly unafraid, like she’d used up her allocation of fear for the week in the last day.

As she steps past Handong kneeling by a grate towards the entrance to the alleyway, Siyeon realizes that the only fear pounding through her veins is for Bora.

She hasn’t seen Bora so uncomposed, so absolutely wrecked with emotion, since their days in Vixx’s dungeon, and it has her out of her mind with worry. She’d been loathe to find her entry point without Bora, loathe to leave her alone when she is very clearly unravelling. Especially here. She’d told herself that it would only be for a few minutes, but the longer Siyeon walks down the alley, the more afraid she becomes.

The thought of Bora back in the club, _alone –_

Mouth dry and heart racing, Siyeon gives up on walking at a normal pace. She runs as fast as she can without slipping into vampiric speed, everything in her frantically pulling her back, like a tether to Bora is melded to the very core of her being and is tightening with every passing second.

Siyeon nearly trips over her own feet as she rounds the corner, but she’s so harried, she can’t be bothered to care. A low, frustrated growl rises involuntarily from the back of her throat as she wastes precious seconds regaining her footing.

Siyeon’s pace increases to a sprint, panic beginning to claw at her chest as she runs past Yubin and Gahyeon by Vixx’s loading zone, too harried to slow down and wave.

She careens around the other corner and keeps running, fists pumping. The frosted windows of Vixx’s headquarters flash in her peripheral; she doesn’t see an alternate entryway in, and right now, she can’t bring herself to care. All she can think about is getting back to Bora.

Siyeon finds Bora before she notices the nightclub, can hear her shallow, rapid breaths even before the thumping of the music reaches her ears. Their eyes meet before Siyeon can announce her presence, like the tether pulling her to Bora is also pulling Bora to her.

Bora’s shoulders drop with relief at the sight of her. She takes a deep, shaky breath, her soft brown eyes scattering light. She throws herself into Siyeon’s arms, her tiny body trembling.

“ _Baby_ ,” Siyeon’s voice cracks with a churning mix of anguish and concern.

Siyeon cups Bora’s jaw, stroking the soft skin of her cheeks with her thumb. Her eyes search Bora’s, and her heart cracks further when she sees the barely restrained agony and despair in them.

_Jesus Christ. She’s in so much pain…_

“Come on, baby,” Siyeon says, hushed. She gently leads Bora to the edge of the sidewalk and flags down a taxi. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Bora nods wordlessly, swallowing back tears.

It only takes a moment for the nearest taxi to spot Siyeon’s raised arm and pull over. Siyeon opens the door and helps Bora inside, ducking in after her. She does up both of their seatbelts and gives the driver the address of their hotel in English, promising him a tip if he hurries. The driver’s eyes light up, and he obeys, slamming his foot down on the gas pedal.

Siyeon wraps her arm around Bora and pulls her into her side, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. Bora lets out a soft, pleased little whine, almost like a kitten, and snuggles further into Siyeon, curling her shaking fingers into Siyeon’s flannel.

After a few minutes of silence, Bora speaks up in Korean, her voice quiet and thready.

“Were you able to find an entry point?”

“No, I couldn’t find anything,” Siyeon lifts her free hand to run her fingers through Bora’s hair. “I had a bad feeling about leaving you alone there, and I started getting worried. I couldn’t concentrate enough to look properly; I just knew I had to get back to you.”

Bora shifts so she can meet Siyeon’s gaze, her eyes soft and warm and filled with gratitude. She doesn’t say it out loud, but her _thank you_ is tangible. Siyeon tips her head so it rests against Bora’s in response, a wordless _you’re always welcome._

“Do you think I could come inside through the club with you?” Siyeon asks.

Bora tilts her head up. “Of course, you can. It might actually work better with the two of us, we’ll probably look less suspicious if we go in as a couple.”

“Okay, perfect,” Siyeon smiles, relieved. “I didn’t want to go in without you in the first place.”

“Me neither.”

“It’ll be like just old times,” Bora says with forced humour.

“Don’t even joke like that,” Siyeon says sternly, an edge creeping into her voice.

“Sorry, baby,” Bora kisses Siyeon’s shoulder in apology. “I’m just –” she trails off.

“I know,” Siyeon’s heart aches. “I understand, it’s okay.”

They fall into a quiet, contemplative silence. After a few moments, Siyeon’s eyes widen.

“Bora?”

“Mmm?” Bora hums adorably against Siyeon’s shirt. Siyeon’s heart melts.

“We should order something in for dinner; is there something you’re in the mood for? I’ll order delivery, so we can stay in.”

“I’m not that hungry,” Bora hesitates.

“Bora,” Siyeon’s voice is firm. “You need to eat.”

“Okay,” she sighs. “Maybe some chicken?”

“Perfect,” Siyeon smiles softly.

To Bora’s dismay, Siyeon pulls out her phone with the hand that had been stroking her hair. Bora tilts her head back automatically, like she’s chasing Siyeon’s hand, trying to get it back.

Siyeon chuckles, affection blooming in her chest.

“Just give me a sec to order, baby. I won’t leave you without affection, I promise.” Siyeon seals her promise with a kiss to the top of Bora’s head.

“You’d better not,” Bora pouts.

“I would never.”

Siyeon opens UberEats on her phone, putting in a double order of fried chicken and French fries to the restaurant closest to their hotel. She tucks her phone back into her pocket and wraps her arm around Bora once more.

“See how fast that was?” Siyeon squeezes Bora’s shoulder gently. “Now I’m back to doting on you.”

“Good,” Bora’s pout tilts up a little, like she’s holding back a smile.

By the time they arrive at the hotel, the UberEats deliveryman is waiting for them at the entrance. After paying their driver – a generous tip for his speed included, – Siyeon climbs out of the cab, helping Bora get out, before approaching the deliveryman. After a quick greeting, Siyeon pays and tips him, takes their food, and leads Bora inside. 

Bora wraps her arm around Siyeon’s free arm as they walk through the opulent lobby towards the elevator.

As they wait for the elevator, Bora’s grip on Siyeon’s arm tightens. Siyeon looks down to see Bora slowly unravelling once more, shifting anxiously, and her breaths becoming shallower and shallower.

_Shit._

The elevator opens, and Siyeon leads Bora inside, rubbing at the soft skin of Bora’s hand with her thumb. She presses the button for their floor, silently urging the elevator to hurry.

“We’re almost there, baby, you’re doing so well.”

Bora shudders, tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes.

Moments later, the elevator slows to a stop, and the doors open.

_Thank god._

Siyeon leads Bora to their room, fumbling in her pocket for the room key. She sighs with relief when she digs it out, and slides it into the lock, turning it. She opens the door, holding it for Bora, before following her inside and locking it behind them.

Siyeon puts the bag of food and the room key onto the communal table in the den, before turning to her pacing girlfriend.

Siyeon steps closer, frowning when the light hits her. For the last day, they’ve basically been going from plane to plane, from poorly lit environment to blindingly-lit environment, and Siyeon realizes with a start that Bora is much, much too pale – she looks almost sickly.

“Bora,” Siyeon starts.

Bora doesn’t answer, she just turns and looks up at Siyeon helplessly.

“Bora,” Siyeon rests her hands on Bora’s shoulders, her voice firm. “When was the last time you fed?”

Bora swallows hard and ducks her head, unable to meet Siyeon’s eyes.

“Kim Bora, _answer me_.”

Bora’s shoulders start to shake.

“The masquerade.” Her voice is barely audible, filled with regret and shame.

Siyeon’s jaw drops.

“Jesus Christ.” Worry seizes Siyeon’s heart, stealing her breath. “You didn’t feed in the limo?”

Bora shakes her head, her lips pressed together, eyes filled with anguish.

“You went through the drop, through the news of us returning here, through both our flights _and_ the scouting mission without feeding?”

Bora nods, tears filling her eyes.

“Bora, baby, you know you’re strong, you know you are, but you’re not a machine,” Siyeon tucks a lock of hair behind Bora’s ear and strokes her cheek. “You need to feed, to take care of yourself so you can keep being strong.”

“I couldn’t do it,” Bora breathes shakily. “I don’t know how, but it’s like I felt this coming, and all of the guilt crashed into me all over again and I just…I wasn’t hungry anymore.”

“You know it’s not your fault,” Tears blur Siyeon’s vision. “You know it wasn’t you, please.”

“You don’t understand,” Bora’s voice cracks, tears of her own spilling down her cheeks. “I screamed my throat raw and bloody for them to take me instead, I smashed my fists against the bars of our cell get their attention, to get them to stop.” Bora falls to her knees in front of Siyeon, her shoulders shaking.

“Every time you started screaming, I fucking lost it; I threw myself against the bars to try to get them to break, even though I knew it was hopeless! I tried so fucking hard to get you back, to get them to let me take the pain instead, and it wasn’t good enough; _I_ wasn’t good enough or strong enough, and you had to suffer for the both of us. Siyeon, it should have been _me_ tied to that table, it should’ve been me! I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.”

Bora’s tiny body shakes with desperate, gasping sobs, and Siyeon’s heart wrenches and splinters in two as Bora, her bedrock and anchor, who’s always been so strong and unwavering, shatters to pieces in front of her like shards of broken glass scattering on concrete.

Without hesitation, Siyeon joins Bora on the floor, kneels in front of her, and pulls her close, wrapping one arm around her waist, and bringing one up to cradle the back of her head. Bora wraps her arms around Siyeon tightly, desperately, as her tears soak Siyeon’s shirt, her cries raw and anguished.

“Kim Bora, you listen to me,” Siyeon’s voice is thick with tears, but the edge in her voice is unmistakable. “You have _nothing_ to apologize for. You did everything you could for me; it wasn’t up to you or to me who they chose, it was their fucked-up psychopaths, do you understand?”

Siyeon cups Bora’s tear-stained face in her hands, brushing fresh tears away with her thumbs.

“I know you feel guilty, baby, I know it’s killing you inside, but _please_ , I’m begging you to believe me. It wasn’t your fault, I promise. I didn’t suffer because of you. They didn’t torture me because of you.” Siyeon presses a kiss to Bora’s forehead with trembling lips. “I was relieved it was me, because it meant it wouldn’t be you.”

“Siyeon –” Bora searches Siyeon’s eyes frantically, like she’s looking for any hint that Siyeon may be just placating her, but Siyeon’s heart is stripped bare, and she knows Bora can feel every single atom of sincerity and unadulterated love.

“I would’ve gone insane if it had been you,” Siyeon tucks a lock of tear-soaked hair behind Bora’s ear with shaking fingers.

“I almost did,” Bora admits ruefully, pressing her forehead to Siyeon’s.

“You were so strong,” Siyeon breathes, filled with awe. “You’ve been so strong, Bora, you are the strongest person I know. You do so, so much for me, you take care of me so well, whether you’re bringing me out of nightmares, or talking me through a panic attack, or making sure that I’m eating and sleeping enough. You’re more than good enough and more than strong enough; please believe me.”

Bora doesn’t say anything, she just lets Siyeon comfort her with murmured praise and gentle touches as she finally lets two years of crushing guilt and pain flood out of her, like a broken dam.

It takes almost fifteen minutes for Bora’s sobs to slow and her tears to stop falling. Siyeon helps Bora to her feet and wipes the last of Bora’s tears away with tissues from their takeout bag with soothing, gentle motions.

“Come with me,” Siyeon takes Bora’s hand and leads her to their room. She closes the door behind them and climbs onto the bed, helping Bora up to sit next to her. “You’ve always taken such good care of me,” Siyeon murmurs, aching to give, to serve. She holds her inner wrist up to Bora’s mouth. “Let me take care of you for once. Please.”

Bora sucks in a breath, her eyes widening and darkening simultaneously as her gaze focuses on where the veins beat blue in Siyeon’s inner wrist with laser-like intensity.

“Are you sure?” She asks, swallowing hard.

Siyeon nods fervently.

“Okay,” Bora breathes. She leans forward and then pauses, tilting her head to look up at Siyeon. “You do more for me than you realize, Siyeon-ah. Please don’t ever think otherwise.”

Siyeon smiles softly, affection and gratitude for her girlfriend surging in her chest.

“Okay.”

“That’s my girl.”

Bora turns back to Siyeon’s proffered wrist. She supports it with barely-there touches, parts her lips, and sinks her fangs into the sensitive skin without any hesitation.

Siyeon gasps, high-pitched and breathy, as Bora begins to feed, every pull of her lips and flick of her tongue sending scorching heat crackling down Siyeon’s spine and through her limbs. She bites back a moan, pressing the back of her other hand against her mouth to keep any sounds from spilling past her lips.

Bora only feeds for a few moments, clearly unwilling to take more than what is absolutely necessary for her to keep going without the Beast Within intervening.

Bora withdraws her fangs from Siyeon’s wrist and meets her eyes, a hungry mix of pitch black and burning crimson. Siyeon’s breath catches in her throat at the sight of her like this, dark and ravenous.

Siyeon swallows hard, her throat suddenly very dry.

“You can take more,” she offers, voice raw and husky.

“You need it, too,” Bora shakes her head, breathing hard. “I’ll find somewhere to get blood tomorrow.”

Siyeon is reluctant to let her wait even until the morning; while colour has returned to Bora’s cheeks and lips, she still looks so fragile, like she’d break into pieces if Siyeon so much as touched her.

“Bora,” Siyeon breathes, still aching to give back, to strip herself bare and give Bora everything she is, and she knows Bora feels it, because the look in her eyes shifts to something akin to ravening awe, like Siyeon is the incandescence of a burning star come to earth.

Siyeon leans in so their foreheads are pressed together and closes her eyes, reveling in the sheer intimacy, in the rapid swell of love and affection in her chest.

Bora kisses her, a barely-there press of trembling lips against Siyeon’s. Siyeon inhales shakily and kisses her back, her hands coming up to cup Bora’s face. Bora captures Siyeon’s lower lip between her teeth and tugs, and Siyeon’s skin comes ablaze with tingling heat.

She deepens the kiss, licking into Bora’s mouth, the faint taste of her own blood on Bora’s lips and tongue driving her half out of her mind. Siyeon straddles her, slowly tipping her backwards so she’s on top, and slides her hands down to Bora’s narrow waist.

Siyeon slips her fingertips under the thin material of Bora’s sweatshirt to stroke at the soft, toned skin of her waist and abdomen, and Bora’s breath hitches, a needy whine escaping her throat.

Heat and greedy hunger to touch and kiss and give surges through Siyeon’s veins, and she breaks the kiss to trail butterfly kisses down the curve of Bora’s jaw, down the traceries of the veins in her neck, down the prominent arch of her collarbone, greedily inhaling the vanilla of Bora’s scent.

Bora moans, reaching up to tangle her fingers in Siyeon’s hair, tugging at the little baby hairs at her nape, and Siyeon sighs at the delicious sensation, the little pinpricks of pain.

She moves to continue trailing a blaze of kisses down Bora’s perfect body, but her progress downward is impeded by the material of Bora’s sweater. Siyeon looks up at Bora, who’s looking down at her, her eyes back to the hungry writhing of black and red, her lips parted.

Siyeon pauses for a moment, breathing hard. Despite the want pounding in her veins, she can’t help but still be a little worried.

“Are you sure you’re not still hungry?”

“I’m hungry for _you_ ,” Bora says, rough and husky, a smirk tilting her kiss-swollen lips. She pulls off her sweater without missing a beat, throws it to the side, and curls her fingers around the bottom of Siyeon’s t-shirt. Siyeon helps her take it off with shaking fingers, but before she can return her lips to Bora’s skin, her girlfriend surges upwards, nipping at Siyeon’s neck and clavicle, sucking purple marks into her skin.

The easy strength with which Bora holds her in place has heat surging between Siyeon’s thighs, has her eyes sliding half-lidded with desire; Bora has so much power in her small body, it takes Siyeon’s breath away with admiration.

When Bora’s lips reach the upper curve of her breasts, Siyeon whimpers, broken and breathless, her brain spinning into incoherency. She wraps her arms around Bora’s upper back, running her fingers over the delicate wings of her shoulder blades, and pulls her closer.

Siyeon’s blood sings in her veins with every new kiss, every scrape of Bora’s sharp incisors on her chest, with every filthy drag of her tongue, and it takes a singular, immense concentrated effort to remember how to unbend her thoughts and recall the desperate ache in her chest to worship, to show Bora how much she loves her by stripping herself bare and giving her everything she has.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Siyeon breathes, her voice rough and cracked.

She pulls back from the reach of Bora’s lips, her chest heaving. Bora’s eyebrows crinkle in concern, but Siyeon kisses the little furrow between them away.

Siyeon eases Bora back down, leaning over her tiny frame. She rakes her gaze over Bora’s blown pupils, her swollen lips, the delicious curve of her jaw, the flex of her elegant throat as she swallows, the way her breasts follow the movement of her chest as she breathes hard, and Siyeon’s heart nearly stops, awestruck at the sight of her so undone and wanting.

“Let me.” It’s a breathless whisper, barely audible and saturated with awe and yearning.

“Okay,” Bora nods fervently, swallowing hard.

Siyeon returns her lips to Bora’s skin with renewed hunger, sucking at the sweet spot at the little hollow behind her ear, before scorching a path down Bora’s neck with her lips and tongue, lingering on her chest to revel in the sensation of feeling Bora’s heartbeat flutter wildly under her lips, like hummingbird’s wings.

They normally work each other up with obscenities and filthy praise between kisses and desperate touches, but right now, the atmosphere between them is so tender and achingly reverent, Siyeon doesn’t want it to break. Bora must pick up on it, too, because she isn’t praising Siyeon’s fingers or her mouth; the only sounds coming from her are breathless moans and needy whines as she arches into Siyeon’s lips, as they revel in the rawness of their connection, like every single fiber of their bodies and souls are intertwined.

Siyeon blazes a trail of heated kisses down Bora’s sternum, sliding her fingers through the slickness between Bora’s shaking thighs. Bora’s lips part, gasping Siyeon’s name like salvation, and unspoken words spill from every press of Siyeon’s lips, from every curl and twist of her fingers, and pour into the air between them:

_I love you, I love you, I love you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the update!
> 
> Just as a quick note, I'm going to be extremely busy in the next week, and it's unlikely that I'll be able to progress on chapter 4 until Wednesday. It's going to be longer and more complicated than this chapter, so it's going to take me longer to write. I apologize in advance for the delay, I'll do my best to repay your patience and enthusiasm with good writing, and an even better update!
> 
> And as always, please feel free to follow me on Twitter @precisiyeon for writing updates and frequent gay-panicking over Dreamcatcher!


	4. We'll Be Together for Every Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! Gahdadong fluff ahead!

As Handong steps around the right corner of Vixx’s headquarters, it strikes her, suddenly, how much she’s changed since she and Yubin joined Dreamcatcher two years ago; how even in the last two weeks alone, she’s overcome her deep-rooted fear of change and thrown herself head-first into the masquerade and the mission with a single-minded, vicious enthusiasm that had surprised both Yubin and herself; how she and Yubin had fallen in love with a stronger-than-steel princess and welcomed her into the quiet, kindled warmth of the space between their hearts.

The Handong of the abandoned factory had been newly turned, trapped and unclaimed, powerless, starving and weak from forced labour and lack of blood. Meeting Yubin in the factory was the greatest silver lining to anything Handong could have ever hoped for; although Yubin had been painfully thin and equally weak, with trembling fingers and her short hair sticking up with dirt and dust, she had a quiet, steady strength that belied her weakened state, a ready smile and a gentle, comforting embrace for Handong.

Handong doesn’t even know the exact moment she and Yubin fell for each other, but it had been slow in the beginning. It built and bloomed between the nights they slept huddled together for warmth, the comfort of each other’s presence grounding them enough to drift away; between each time their eyes met during the endless hours of punishing work, exchanging looks of encouragement and tired half-smiles of support, and with each one, something in Handong’s chest grew and expanded, like flowers petaling open in front of the sun. They fell slowly, and then all at once like a burst of lightning igniting the night sky, pulling the two of them together with a raw, desperate intensity unlike anything Handong had ever experienced.

Their bond had kept them going through each exhausting day, through each quiet sob of despair, hoping against hope that one day, something would change, that somehow, they could escape. And when CLC had broken down the factory doors to save them all and escorted them to their headquarters to recover, she and Yubin stepped into the sunlight for the first time in a year holding hands, their fingers tight against each other, their grins as wide as they’d ever been, overcome with relief and hope and gratitude.

But that Handong, factory Handong, is a far cry from the Handong of today, and the thought of how she and Yubin have reclaimed their power since their rescue sends a surge of savage triumph and pride through her chest and down her spine, and she has to restrain herself from expending the rush of energy in a supernatural burst.

Her fingers itch for the transformation, Nannan pressing hungrily into her subconscious. Handong takes a deep breath to maintain her focus and suppress the burst of energy into a low simmer deep in her chest.

She can’t break the Masquerade, and she has a job to do.

It only takes a quick glance of the side of Vixx’s headquarters for Handong to know that she’s going to have her pick of vents to use as her entry point; there have to be at least half a dozen in close proximity alone.

Handong crouches in front of the vent closest to her. It’s made of gray metal, the slats glinting in the daylight. It’s small, but it looks promising. Rapid footsteps approach, and Handong doesn’t even need to turn around to know it’s Siyeon. The atmosphere surrounding her is simmering with worry and concern, and Handong thinks it might be a good idea to not interrupt her as she walks by.

Siyeon must be worried out of her mind for Bora; it hadn’t been hard to notice her visceral response to being back at Vixx’s headquarters, and Handong can’t help but be worried too. She’s never seen Bora so undone, not since their first encounter at CLC’s headquarters two years ago.

But it won’t do Handong any good to get distracted right now, and she knows Siyeon will take care of Bora, so Handong pulls up her sleeves, slips her fingers through the slats of her grate, and after taking a quick, furtive look around to make sure no one is watching and that she’s in the blindspot of the security cameras, she pulls. The metal protests with a grinding screech, and little flakes of rust crumble from the hinges, but Handong is strong, and it swings open.

As she sits back on her heels to examine the duct, Yoohyeon approaches from the front of the building. She has a worried look in her eyes, but she smiles softly at Handong and waves quickly as she passes by. Handong returns the smile and wave, before turning back to the duct.

She tilts her head to the side to get a better look inside. As far as she can tell, the duct looks sturdy enough to hold Nannan. It leads straight into the building, before curving off to the right and up, and Handong thinks she’s made a good choice; it looks promising. Worse comes to worse, she can always climb up the side of the building as Nannan and slip through Yoohyeon’s open window.

Decided, Handong closes the vent, making sure to leave it looking as inconspicuous and as normal as possible. She rises to her feet and turns to see that Yoohyeon has already left; her entry point had been the easiest to figure out. Handong isn’t sure how long Yubin and Gahyeon will be, so she heads back to the front of the building to wait for them.

Yoohyeon and Minji are gone by the time Handong gets there, so, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jacket, she cranes her head up to the highest floor of the building, and begins to wait.

**~ * ~ * ~ * ~**

It’s been a long time since Yubin’s experienced so many polarizing emotions at the same time – since the factory, in fact. Anger, fear, powerlessness, despair, and affection and desire to care for Handong had been a potent combination, and here she is, two years later, with a similar combination simmering under her skin.

Looking up at Vixx’s headquarters, thinking about what had been done here to Minji and Bora and Siyeon, Yubin is _angry,_ and with Handong crouching next to the side of the building behind them and Gahyeon walking quietly next to her, their relationship newly formed and hands just barely brushing against each other as they walk, Yubin is _ecstatic_. The desire to reach out and join her and Gahyeon’s hands surges through Yubin’s chest. Her fingertips twitch with it, almost instinctively stretching towards the former princess, but Yubin holds herself back; Gahyeon had asked for time, and the last thing Yubin wants is to infringe.

As she and Gahyeon head towards Vixx’s loading zone, the earth, muted from all the concrete of the city, calls out to Yubin with a gentle tug in her veins, a quiet reminder. Yubin reaches out with her senses, a smile curving at the edges of her lips.

_Hello._

The earth hums in her veins and in the back of her brain, satisfied.

Next to her, Gahyeon tilts her head to the side.

“What are you smiling at?” Curiosity lilts her voice.

“Many, many things,” Yubin teases, her smile widening as she looks at Gahyeon.

Gahyeon’s pout is immediate; her perfect lips curve downward, and her eyebrows tilt up pleadingly.

“Tell me!”

Yubin laughs, her heart fluttering madly in her chest at the sight of her beautiful girlfriend’s – her girlfriend’s! – endearing antics.

Yubin taps her chin contemplatively, before meeting Gahyeon’s gaze.

“If it’s okay for me to say,” Yubin pauses for Gahyeon to nod her permission before continuing, “I was smiling, because despite everything that’s been going on and what we’re here for, I’m very happy to be here with you.”

Yubin’s voice is stripped bare of teasing now, there are many, many things she wants to tell Gahyeon; to compliment her until her face is flushed pink, to tell her how grateful she is to have been chosen to share her heart with, to press kisses to each of her calloused fingers and her pouty lips, but Gahyeon has set her boundaries, and Yubin refuses to step over them. She just hopes Gahyeon can hear the emotion and intent in her voice and extrapolate the rest.

Gahyeon doesn’t disappoint, her eyes soften with affection and sparkle with emotion. She smiles widely, pleased, and a pink flush dusts her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. There’s a barely audible crack in her voice as she responds shyly, “I am, too.”

Yubin smiles, relieved.

“What else were you smiling about?” Gahyeon persists. “It couldn’t have been just me.”

Yubin laughs, shaking her head.

“It definitely could have,” Yubin winks, before looking down at the pavement, trying to figure out how to put her connection to the earth into words.

Yubin gives up after a few moments; how can she possibly put something so deep and intrinsic and part of her very being into words? She tilts her head up to the sky, embarrassed.

“The earth called to me,” Yubin’s voice is a little gruff; it sounds crazy to even admit out loud that the earth actually communicates with her somehow, even though she knows the different elements have their own unique connections and methods of communication.

She’s talked about it with the others, of course, but each element, and even each of the shapeshifter’s animals, communicates with the vampire who commands it in a different way. Yubin’s heard about how fire responds to emotions with surges of heat from Minji, and how Nannan has merged with Handong’s playful side, but the earth isn’t like that with Yubin. It just _is_ , and sometimes it sees fit to draw Yubin’s attention, and but mostly, it’s silent and impassive, but its constant steadiness has always been comforting.

To Yubin’s surprise, though, Gahyeon doesn’t look at her like she’s insane.

“ _Really_?” Gahyeon’s eyes light up.

Gahyeon is an earth elementalist, too, Yubin thinks. Maybe she’ll understand.

“Yeah,” Yubin nods. “It was just a little wordless reminder that it’s there, but it was nice.”

Gahyeon hums thoughtfully.

“When I was training with Minji and Yoohyeon, they had me really try to connect with the air before teaching me how to suffocate people with it,” Gahyeon tucks her hands into her pockets. “When I did, it almost felt like it was playing with me and encouraging me with each little milestone. It was surprisingly reassuring. I haven’t felt anything like that with earth yet, but I think I understand.”

Gahyeon offers Yubin a soft, understanding smile, gently bumping her shoulder with hers. A mixture of butterflies and gratitude flutter madly in Yubin’s chest, and she smiles back, giggling as she returns the bump.

“Is it like that with all the elements?” Gahyeon asks as they turn the corner to the loading zone.

“It is, yeah,” Yubin says. “Fire and water are different; it’s different for each element, but most vampires don’t try to connect with their element when they use it. For most of them, it’s just a tool, but for us, it’s…almost like a friend.”

“That’s really sweet, actually,” Gahyeon beams. “I like that.”

The loading zone comes into view, then; it’s an enormous parking lot with a row of dumpsters along the back, and six or seven separate garages built into the building. Each garage has its own little dock and check-in booth.

It’s the middle of the afternoon, so it’s only a little busy. A couple of the docks are occupied by Mack trucks, and several grumpy-looking vampires sit inside the booths, checking over documents, before allowing the drivers to begin unloading.

Yubin scans the loading zone with a frown, doing her best to stay undetected. The unoccupied garages are sealed with padlocks, and the rest of the building looks impenetrable.

Gahyeon peeks around Yubin, and despite Yubin’s concentration, the close proximity has her skin lighting up like a live wire.

“This might be more difficult that we thought,” Gahyeon says, worried. “Maybe we could break one of the padlocks and sneak in through there?”

“We could,” Yubin leans against the wall, eyebrows furrowed. “But it isn’t completely zero-footprint. It’s a good idea, though, let’s leave it as our last resort. We still have a little while, let’s see if we can figure something else out first.”

“Okay,” Gahyeon agrees.

Yubin peeks around the corner again, this time looking at the side of the building closest to her. The walls back here are completely different from the sides and front of the building; gone are the frosted glass walls and windows, the loading zone is made entirely of rough brown brick and stone.

Yubin leans out a little further, trying to get a glimpse further down the wall, and something colourful catches her eye.

The far side of the wall is blanketed with green and red ivy, vines winding up between the bricks. Yubin blinks at the burst of colour, confused.

 _That’s so random,_ she thinks. She’s about to dismiss it as an odd choice of decoration or lack of maintenance on Vixx’s part, when the earth calls to her again.

It’s persistent, this time, a stronger tug in her veins that pulls her directly towards the ivy.

Yubin’s eyebrows shoot up.

_Holy shit._

“The ivy,” Yubin murmurs. “The earth is practically pulling me towards it, there must be something there.”

Gahyeon doesn’t hesitate.

“How will we check it out? The guards are practically looking right at us.”

“I’m not sure,” Yubin frowns. “We can’t leave without checking it out; if we come back tomorrow and it ends up being unusable, we’re screwed.”

“Let me try something,” Gahyeon shifts so she’s peeking further around the corner. Her eyes narrow, and the tip of her tongue pokes out of her mouth adorably in concentration.

A gentle breeze begins to blow in the direction of the ivy. After waiting a moment to check if the guards had noticed anything, Gahyeon’s brow furrows, and the breeze grows stronger. The leaves on the ivy flutter and shift, revealing a discolouration of the brick underneath, almost like rusted metal.

_Jesus Christ._

“Is that a _door_?” Gahyeon’s voice is coloured with shock.

“I think so!” Yubin says excitedly.

“Fuck,” Gahyeon breathes. “Okay, give me a sec.”

The breeze picks up to a sharp gust of wind, and several vines and lines of ivy actually detach from the wall, revealing a section of a metal door covered in rust, the doorknob still intact.

The wind dies down, and Gahyeon whips back around the corner, cheeks flushed and eyes wide with excitement.

“Oh, my god!”

“Holy shit, Gahyeon!” Yubin grins, “That was amazing!”

Gahyeon’s blush deepens.

“I couldn’t have done it if I hadn’t known where to look,” she says shyly.

Yubin smiles, her own cheeks burning pink.

“We make a good team.”

“We do!” Gahyeon says happily, wrapping her arm around Yubin’s.

Yubin nearly has a heart attack at the unexpected affection, the warmth from Gahyeon’s arm and side seeping into her skin. Gahyeon settles closer to her, practically jumping up and down with excitement.

Yubin forces her heart to calm and the butterflies in her stomach to settle.

“Let’s get back to Handong,” Yubin suggests, hoping Gahyeon doesn’t notice the miniscule crack in her voice. “She’s probably been waiting for a while.”

“Okay!”

They turn around and head back towards the front of Vixx’s headquarters, Gahyeon’s arm still wrapped tightly around Yubin’s.

“Does Handong’s cat form have a name?” Gahyeon asks suddenly.

Yubin chuckles.

“Yeah, her cat’s name is Nannan,” Yubin says. “She named it after her family cat in China.”

“And Siyeon?” Gahyeon asks curiously. “Does her wolf have a name too?”

“Not as far as I know,” Yubin hums. “Siyeon sees her wolf too much as a part of herself to give it a name. Nannan responds to Handong’s playful, excited side, so it only really presses in on her when she’s feeling excited or mischievous. Siyeon’s wolf is something else,” Yubin hesitates, searching for the right words. “It runs deeper in her, I think.”

“Oh, wow,” Gahyeon murmurs.

“She did consider naming it Tteokbeokki once, though,” Yubin adds, suppressing a grin.

“ _Really?”_

Yubin just laughs.

**~ * ~ * ~ * ~**

Gahyeon is still pestering Yubin about whether or not Siyeon had really almost named her wolf Tteokbeokki when she and Yubin find Handong waiting for them at the front of Vixx’s headquarters.

“Hey, guys,” Handong greets them with a warm smile that has gentle warmth surging down Gahyeon’s body all the way to her toes. “Did you find anything?”

“We did,” Yubin smiles at Gahyeon, her eyes glinting with pride, before looking back at Handong. “Gahyeon and I found a hidden door by the loading zone.”

“A hidden door?” Handong’s eyes widen with curiousity.

“Yeah!” Gahyeon says excitedly. “There was a door covered with ivy built into one of the walls. Yubin detected it with her earth powers, and I used air to make some wind strong enough to shift the ivy, so we could see underneath it.”

“That’s amazing,” Handong is visibly impressed, a proud smile on her lips.

Knowing that both of her girlfriends – her girlfriends! – are proud of her has a wide grin curving Gahyeon’s lips and an ecstatic sense of worthiness blooming in her chest.

“Thank you,” Gahyeon says shyly. “Did you find your entry point?”

“I did,” Handong nods. “It’s not as exciting as yours, though,” she adds with a laugh. “I found a good vent that should at least get me up the first few floors.”

“Perfect,” Yubin squeezes Handong’s shoulder affectionately.

“What’s our plan for the rest of the day?” Gahyeon asks. “It looks like everybody’s already taken off.”

Yubin and Handong exchange a glance, before looking back at Gahyeon.

“Well,” Handong shifts, clearly a little nervous.

“There’s a really nice bowling alley nearby,” Yubin doesn’t miss a beat. “Dong and I were hoping maybe we could take you on a date?”

Gahyeon’s eyes widen.

_A date?_

“If you’re not comfortable with that, it’s totally okay,” Handong reassures. “We can do something else, or just go for fun. It’s up to you.”

Gahyeon can’t stop the flutter in her chest or the deep flush rising on her cheeks; she’s never had anybody want to pay so much attention to her before, let alone take her out on a date. Butterflies erupt in her stomach, both with the attention and with nervousness. She does want to go out with them, she _does_ , but Gahyeon has never been on a date before, she has no idea what she’s supposed to do.

“A date sounds really nice,” Gahyeon twists her fingers together, smiling up at her girlfriends shyly. “I’ve never been on one, though, so I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do on one.” Gahyeon looks down at her feet, embarrassed.

“That’s okay, Gahyeon-ah,” Handong lifts Gahyeon’s chin with a finger. “We’re basically just treating you to bowling and dinner, it won’t be anything intense or complicated. We just want to have some fun with you.”

“And maybe hold hands under the table while we eat,” Yubin adds. “And if you feel uncomfortable with anything at all, we’ll leave right away, no questions asked. How does that sound?”

Gahyeon has to blink back tears at Yubin and Handong’s careful consideration. Nobody has ever taken so much care to be as respectful of her boundaries as possible, and she has to remind herself that yes, this is _real_ , and yes, she is loved. She isn’t back at the palace, and this isn’t a dream.

“That sounds perfect.”

Yubin and Handong smile widely in response, excitement twinkling in their eyes.

“I’m gonna order us an Uber,” Yubin pulls out her phone and taps away at it for a moment. “The alley isn’t far, and there’s a little restaurant inside, so we can eat dinner while we play.”

“We’ll take good care of you, Gahyeon,” Handong reassures, brushing a few stray hairs from Gahyeon’s face. Her voice is steady with an undercurrent of emotion, and Gahyeon can tell Handong isn’t just talking about the date.

Before Gahyeon can respond, by crying with gratitude and appreciation or by thanking her, she isn’t sure, their Uber pulls up to the curb.

Yubin quickly steps up to open the back door and hold it open for them.

 _She’s such a gentlewoman,_ Gahyeon thinks, _like a gallant prince, maybe_.

Handong climbs in first, crawling over to the furthest seat, and then beckons Gahyeon to join her. Gahyeon thanks Yubin for holding the door for her with a shy smile, and ducks inside, scooting over to the middle seat and buckling herself in. Yubin drops down to sit next to her, closing the door behind her.

As their driver pulls away from the sidewalk, Handong rests her head on Gahyeon’s shoulder, and Yubin links their fingers, smiling up at her. Gahyeon closes her eyes and revels in their affection until they arrive at the bowling alley less than five minutes later.

Gahyeon follows Yubin out of the Uber and looks up at the bowling alley with wide eyes. It almost looks like a retro movie theater on the outside, with blinding blue and purple neon lights lining the space above the entrance, and Gahyeon can’t wait to see what it looks like on the inside.

Handong joins them on the sidewalk moments later, and the three of them head towards the doors. Yubin holds the door open for them with an exaggerated bow and a grin, and follows them inside.

Gahyeon isn’t disappointed by the interior; the hallway opens up into an enormous circular space with individual bowling lanes to their left and right. There’s a small bar at the far end; Gahyeon guesses it must also be the restaurant. An employee stands inside a hollow round desk in the center of the room, surrounded by stacks of bowling shoes. Music pumps through stereo speakers all over the alley, the heavy EDM beat thrumming in Gahyeon’s bones.

As they approach the table to check-in, Gahyeon notices the patterns on the carpet glow in the dim light, and looks up to see strobes all across the ceiling flashing neon green and blue and red, bathing the three of them in liquid colour.

Yubin’s teeth flash as she grins, a dazzling burst of blue and green refracting off her teeth, Handong is drenched in a burst of orange and red that highlights her cheekbones and the slope of her nose, and the sight of the two of them like this has heat crackling down Gahyeon's spine, has her wanting to know what it’d be like to kiss them under the lights like this, with the two of them looking like living sculptures infused with every colour of the rainbow.

“Come on!” Yubin has to shout over the music to be heard, especially with their heightened senses.

Yubin leads Gahyeon and Handong to the check-in counter. She speaks to the employee in fluent English, her accent barely noticeable, and Gahyeon can’t help but be impressed. Her own English is nonexistent; she’d never had a chance to learn in the palace.

After a minute of barely audible conversation, Yubin hands the employee some cash, and is given three pairs of bowling shoes and a receipt in exchange.

Yubin leads them to a lane marked with the number seven above a small ring of seats and passes Gahyeon and Handong each a pair of bowling shoes.

Gahyeon sits down on one of the plastic seats and takes her shoes off, lacing up the bowling shoes in their place. To her surprise, the shoes fit perfectly.

“How did you know my size?” Gahyeon calls over the music.

“Your feet are the same size as Bora’s,” Yubin laughs.

Gahyeon laughs, too, as she finishes lacing them up. She steps up to the console in front of them. The text is all in English, and although Gahyeon can read it, she doesn’t understand what any of it means.

“How does this thing work?” She asks, turning to look at Yubin and Handong.

“Here,” Handong joins her at the console and taps at it. The screen flashes in response, and a keyboard appears in the bottom half of the screen. “This is where we put our names in,” she explains. “Our names and scores will appear up there,” she points up at two TV screens hanging from the ceiling above them.

“That’s so cool!”

“It is!” Handong agrees enthusiastically. “Do you wanna put your name in?”

“Sure!”

Gahyeon does know how to spell her name in English, so she carefully taps in the letters _G-a-h-y-e-o-n_ , making sure she’s pressing the right ones, and then presses the blue button underneath, which she guesses means _confirm_.

She’s proven right a moment later when her name lights up on the screen above her, and she smiles at her success.

Handong puts in her own name, and Yubin joins them at the console to type in hers. Once their names are registered and ready to go, Yubin picks up one of the bowling balls from the retrieval machine in front of the console and hands it to Gahyeon.

“Here you go!”

Gahyeon takes the ball, holding it carefully.

“Do I just throw it at the pins?” She asks, confused. “I’ve never done this before, I’m sorry.”

Yubin’s eyes widen.

“Don’t apologize, Gahyeon, it’s okay,” Yubin reassures, “Let me show you how.”

Yubin picks up a second ball and steps up to the black line in front of the lane. Bending her knees, she swings her arm back and then forward in a smooth, careful arc.

“This is how you stand and swing,” Yubin says. “I’m not a pro; I’ve only bowled a couple times, but this is the basic gist of it.”

“Okay,” Gahyeon says, “I’ll give it a shot.”

Pushing aside her deep-rooted fears of imperfection, Gahyeon lines herself up on the black line, doing her best to match Yubin’s posture. Her grip on the ball is tight, bordering on supernaturally tight as she swings her arm back, and then forward. She releases the ball on the upswing with a subconscious extra burst of energy, and it goes careening off to the side, smashing into the gutter and nearly bouncing out into the lane next to them.

“Oh, shit.”

Gahyeon’s eyebrows shoot up, her jaw drops in surprise, and she turns around to face Yubin and Handong, a little more than embarrassed.

Her girlfriends are cracking up, affection shining in their eyes, and they rush to reassure her.

“Lee Gahyeon,” Yubin tucks a lock of hair behind Gahyeon’s ear. “That was great for a first try!”

“Try not to hold the ball so tightly next time,” Handong adds. “You don’t need to hold the ball that tightly or throw it that hard. Remember, this game was made for humans, we have to keep a lid on our strength for it.”

“Okay, I’ll remember,” Gahyeon says, willing the burning her cheeks to fade away. She picks up a new ball from the machine and returns to the black line, taking the same position as she had before.

“Release the ball with the inside of your wrist facing the pins,” Handong advises. “Like this.”

Handong steps up behind Gahyeon, molding herself to the curve of Gahyeon’s spine and grips her elbow gently. Fireworks explode under Gahyeon’s skin at their proximity, despite Handong doing her best to keep several centimeters of distance between their bodies.

Handong slides her hand down Gahyeon’s forearm until her hand is cupping the back of Gahyeon’s, her thumb stroking at the delicate bones of her wrist, and turns it slowly, so that Gahyeon’s inner wrist is facing towards the pins.

“Okay,” Gahyeon’s voice is much, much too breathy. She turns her head to look back at Handong, to see that her girlfriend is just as affected; a spark of heat glimmers deep in her eyes, her lips nearly brushing the shell of Gahyeon’s ear, and the bowling ball nearly drops from Gahyeon’s suddenly-weak fingers.

Handong’s smile tilts into a smirk, and she withdraws, her fingers lingering on Gahyeon’s arms, before pulling away entirely.

“Tease,” Yubin’s voice is just audible over the music, much deeper than usual and Handong and Gahyeon twist around at the same time to see her raking her gaze over the two of them, a wicked glint in her eyes.

Handong winks at Yubin and then at Gahyeon, and steps back.

“Try it now.”

Gahyeon takes a deep breath to compose herself, and throws the ball, making sure to keep her girlfriends’ advice in mind.

This time, her aim is truer, and the ball rolls down the lane smoothly, knocking over a few pins at the end.

“I did it!” Gahyeon jumps up and down, grinning at her success.

“Way to go, Gahyeon-ah!”

Handong and Yubin embrace her, ruffling her hair and squeezing her shoulder, their smiles proud, and Gahyeon’s heart swells in her chest.

“You still have one more try before the end of your turn,” Yubin points out as they untangle themselves from each other.

“Okay,” Gahyeon says. “I’ll give it another shot.”

Gahyeon misses the remaining pins, but she doesn’t mind; she’s happy with her previous success, and now she gets to admire her girlfriends as they take their turns.

Yubin wins in the end, with Handong coming in close second, and Gahyeon trailing behind them in third, but Yubin and Handong are showering her with so much attention and affection, Gahyeon knows she still won.

Yubin and Handong escort her to the little restaurant at the back of the bowling alley, laughing and joking all the way.

The restaurant is more like a little bar with a tiny kitchen in the back, with round tables meant for two in front. Yubin pulls up a third chair so they can all crowd together at the same table, their knees and elbows touching and bumping due to how little space there is, but by the happy looks on her girlfriends’ faces, Gahyeon can tell they don’t mind.

(Gahyeon doesn't mind either.)

Someone comes to bring them menus and take their order. They order a large pizza, vanilla milkshakes, and sweet potato fries – Yubin tells Gahyeon in a conspiratory whisper that they’re her favourite – and the three of them settle in to wait for their food.

To their surprise, their food comes less than ten minutes later, and they have to do their best to fit the huge amount of food on their little table, giggling as their hands knock against each other.

The meal passes in flashes of mischief and breathless laughter; between bites of pizza, Yubin feeds Gahyeon and Handong her sweet potato fries, her eyes darkening and smirk widening as their lips and teeth brush her long fingers, and Handong shares her vanilla milkshake, playfully dabbing the foam on Yubin’s nose and Gahyeon’s chin, and Gahyeon thinks her heart might beat out of her chest with happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of things conspired to delay this chapter, and I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long. I very much hope that the fluff makes up for it!
> 
> We've now finished the second arc of this story, and are starting the third: the infiltration part of the mission. Similar to chapters 2-4, the remaining chapters all occur approximately at the same time and will detail each member's thoughts and experiences as they infiltrate Vixx's headquarters and prepare to kill its leaders and get their revenge.
> 
> As always, please feel free to follow me on Twitter @precisiyeon for lots of gay-panicking over Dreamcatcher and writing updates! Stay healthy and safe everyone, I hope to greet you with chapter 5 soon!


	5. Don't Move Far Away from Me

_“Dong-ah,” Yubin smiles playfully, white teeth flashing. “I have a surprise for you.”_

_They’re on their morning break; their fellow captives are all resting on their thin sleeping bags or leaning against the wall, exhausted and pale. It’s been two days since their captors last brought them blood, and the hunger is already beginning to simmer deep in Handong’s belly._

_Time passes fluidly down here, marked by feeding days and hungry days. There have been more hungry days than Handong can count. She had carefully marked down the days when she’d first been captured, fiery determination to defy her captors, stay sane, and eventually escape, but now? After countless days of grueling labour, being purposefully starved, beaten down, and kept weak, Handong doesn’t even bother._

_She’s just trying to stay alive._

_Yubin is her silver lining, her lifeline, and when the despair and hopelessness come crawling in from the blackest corners of her mind, Yubin is there to temper it all with soft smiles and easy affection and a deep, intrinsic sturdiness, like despite her weakened body, Yubin is a strong, sturdy anchor in the face of endless, crashing waves._

_Handong raises her eyebrows, unable to resist smiling back. She leans back against the concrete wall for support, heedless of the fresh grime and dust covering her shirt._

_“What is it?” Handong tilts her head to the side, curious._

_The options of what the surprise could be are quite limited, especially down here. The factory is mostly occupied by boxes and machinery, dust and dirt, so Handong can’t help but wonder what Yubin has up her sleeve._

_“Here,” Yubin kneels and holds out her cupped hands, her playful smile turning shy._

_Handong leans forward to get a better look and gasps._

_In Yubin’s trembling hands is a small hexagonal wooden token. Carved into the very center, is the outline of a dove soaring underneath the sun, and next to it, written in Chinese characters, is_ yíjiàn zhōngqíng, _love at first sight_. _The carvings are a little crooked and messy, and the token is chipped and cracked, but it’s the most beautiful thing Handong has ever seen._

_“Yubin,” Handong breathes, eyes filling with tears. “I - how did you make this?”_

_Yubin meets Handong’s eyes, and Handong’s heart nearly leaps out of her chest at the sheer emotion in her gaze._

_“I got the wood from a broken crate,” Yubin smiles sheepishly, “and I used a bare screw from the underside of one of the machines to do the carving.”_

_Handong’s jaw drops._

_“That must’ve taken you hours!”_

_“Maybe one or two,” Yubin winks, before turning serious. “Handong . . . we’re going to get out of here. I don’t know when or how, but we_ are _. If the darkness starts pressing in when I’m on shift and I can’t be there again, I want you to look at the dove and remember the freedom we’re going to have, all the things we’re going to do together. Can you do that for me?”_

_No one has ever been so thoughtful and caring towards her as Yubin, no one has ever loved her so openly, without reservations or hesitation, and Handong can only nod, tears spilling down her cheeks, emotion swelling so rapidly in her chest, she can’t get any words out._

_“That’s my girl.” Yubin presses the token into Handong’s palm, closes Handong’s fingers around it, and places a soft kiss on the back of her hand, smiling._

_“I love you so much, baobei” Handong rests her forehead against Yubin’s, breathing in her subtle, earthy scent._

_“I love you, too.”_

_“I wish I had something to give you in return,” Handong reaches up to tuck a lock of Yubin’s hair behind her ear. It’s growing out, she notes fondly._

_Yubin shakes her head._

_“You’re all I need.”_

_Before Handong can respond, the metal door at the back is thrown open with a deafening_ bang _. Instinctively, Handong and Yubin jump apart and leap to their feet, adrenaline surging through them. The other captives follow suit, eyes wide with fear._

_Their captors enter into the factory. Dressed all in black, their eyes masked, teeth pulled back in cruel smiles, they begin grabbing captives at random and pulling them towards the door._

_“Keep it hidden,” Yubin breathes, just loud enough for Handong to hear._

_Breathing hard, her eyes darting to the approaching vampires behind them, she shoves the token into her pocket._

_Her timing is perfect. The tallest of the captors looms over Handong and Yubin, emanating menace. From his lack of reaction, it’s safe to assume he hadn’t seen Handong hiding the token._

_Handong shouldn’t be as afraid as she is, she should be used to all this by now, but when the vampire grabs her arm and starts pulling, the fear and adrenaline kick in with overwhelming intensity. A gray haze blankets her vision, her heart beating a rapid, desperate tattoo against her ribs. He’s dragging her towards the door and away from Yubin, the terror is lighting her up from the inside, winding around her lungs and constricting them like a serpent, and she can’t think, can’t breathe –_

Handong awakens with a sharp gasp, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.

Quickly, she takes stock of her environment; she’s in bed, curled up against Gahyeon’s back, safe in their hotel room. All the tension drains out of Handong’s body, and she sinks back into the mattress with relief. Closing her eyes, she takes deep, steadying breaths, and then pulls her necklace out from inside the collar of her sleep shirt.

The wooden token’s edges are worn, and the carvings are faded with use, but as she clutches it in her hand and strokes the worn edge with her thumb, familiar calm seeps into Handong’s bones.

She stays like that, rubbing the token with her thumb, until her heart-rate returns to its steady pace and the effects of her dream have faded away into nothing.

Handong opens her eyes and lifts her head, looking over Gahyeon to see empty sheets on the former princess’ other side.

Yubin must be in the bathroom, she thinks.

Handong gets out of the bed, careful to not wake Gahyeon, and pads quietly over to the bathroom. The door is open just a crack, so Handong knocks gently.

“Yubinnie?” Handong’s voice is quiet and tentative. “Can I come in?”

A muffled “mhmm,” is her only answer, so Handong pushes the door open and steps inside.

It’s warm and humid, steam misting on the mirror. Yubin is toweling off her wet hair, dressed in nothing but her bra and briefs, water droplets sliding down her neck and jaw, and despite the residual emotions from Handong’s dream, her breath catches in her throat, warmth flashing down her spine.

“Good morning,” Yubin smiles, putting her towel on the counter. She wraps her arms around Handong’s neck and pulls her in for a kiss.

“It is now,” Handong smiles against Yubin’s lips, pressing their foreheads together.

And it’s true; as Handong learns against Yubin and closes her eyes, Yubin’s presence settles and grounds Handong, the lingering riotous emotions from her dream seeping away until the tension tightening her shoulders and chest has drained away and been replaced with soft, easy contentment.

Handong’s heard of couples whose desire for each other tapers off and fades away with time, but she’s never understood it; her hunger for Yubin is ever-present, simmering under her skin and thrumming with the beat of her heart, and it’s always been effortless for that kindling to spark and blaze.

Handong plays with the baby hairs at Yubin’s nape as she reconnects their lips, sighing as Yubin pulls her flush against her. Yubin deepens the kiss, nipping at Handong’s lower lip, and she barely suppresses a whimper. Her hands come up subconsciously to Yubin’s waist, reveling in the gentle warmth of her skin. Handong parts Yubin’s lips with her own and licks into her mouth, sighing at the taste of her.

Handong’s fingers trace light patterns up Yubin’s abdomen and ribs, and play teasingly with the edge of her bra, and Yubin’s breath hitches in her throat. She pulls back just enough to meet Handong’s gaze, her eyes dark and filled with want, sliding her hands down Handong’s torso to squeeze her hips.

“Don’t play, baby,” Yubin’s voice is husky and rough.

The sheer intensity of her gaze and the authority in her voice has Handong’s heart stuttering in her chest, has her wanting to know exactly what would have happened if she had entered the bathroom just a few minutes earlier, has her wondering if Yubin would have pressed her up against the tiles and fucked her into the wall, filthy praise spilling from her lips as she sucked purple marks into the underside of her jaw, the sound of the shower concealing her breathless moans. Handong’s knees go weak.

“I would never.”

In contrast to her words, though, Handong’s fingertips skate teasingly over Yubin’s breasts, her lips curving in a smirk.

Yubin’s eyes darken further, filled with hunger and heat. She backs Handong up against the counter, gripping it on either side of Handong’s hips to keep her pinned. Yubin presses herself flush against Handong, sliding her thigh between Handong’s legs. Fireworks explode under Handong’s skin at their proximity, at the sensation of Yubin crowding her, her eyes black and ravenous and filled with promise, at the hard, delicious press of Yubin’s thigh _exactly_ where she desperately needs it.

Handong’s clit is pounding with the rhythm of its own heartbeat, her cunt clenching around nothing, slick already dripping down her thighs, and –

_Wait._

She and Yubin freeze simultaneously and break apart.

“We need to –” Handong breaks off, breathing hard.

“I know,” Yubin nods, running a hand through her hair. “Everything’s been so chaotic and crazy, it completely slipped my mind.”

“Mine too,” Handong reassures, reaching up to gently brush Yubin’s bangs out of her eyes. “We have some time before she wakes up. We can figure it out now.”

“Okay,” Yubin agrees. Her eyes search Handong’s face, before dropping to her lips. “Let me just –” Yubin gently pulls away from Handong’s embrace with no small amount of regret on her face. “I can’t think straight when I’m this close to you.”

A flush blooms on Handong’s cheekbones and across the bridge of her nose, and she smiles widely, pleased.

“I know,” Handong winks, “neither can I. You’re very distracting.”

And she is; Yubin is all bare skin and swollen lips, dark eyes and pink cheeks, and Handong can’t tear her eyes away from her, from the way droplets of water slide down her neck and collarbone, from the way Yubin’s fangs just barely peek out from between her parted lips, and Handong has to close her eyes for a moment and take a deep breath to regain her focus.

Yubin laughs huskily. “Well, we can’t have that.” She backs up against the wall opposite Handong, smiling affectionately. “So,” she takes a deep breath. “What do you think?”

“Well,” Handong tilts her head to the side contemplatively, “I think it wouldn’t feel right if we did anything without her. She’s never been with anyone before us, and she’s just become part of a relationship with two experienced people who’ve already been together for three years. I don’t think it would be right to keep going with the physical part of our relationship while we wait for her to be ready to take that step.”

“I feel the same way,” Yubin leans up against the wall. “We should wait, so the next time, it’s the three of us together, whenever she’s ready. And I think she should be included in this conversation, too, once she’s ready to talk about the three of us being together in general. We have to show her that we’re going to take care of her and welcome her into every aspect of our relationship.”

Yubin’s voice is certain and sure, and knowing that they’re on the same page, that the intrinsic synchronicity that’s always tied them together is holding strong, especially about something so significant, has relief and love for her girlfriend blooming in Handong’s chest.

“I agree,” Handong smiles softly.

“Do you think we should stop kissing too?” Yubin pauses for a moment, clearly conflicted.

Handong blinks; she hadn’t even considered that as an option.

_Should we? Would Yubin and I not sharing our usual affection make Gahyeon more comfortable or less so?_

It takes a moment, but Handong comes to a decision.

“No,” she shakes her head. “I don’t think so.”

Yubin looks up at her, open curiosity in her eyes. She doesn’t need to ask out loud; Handong hears her silent question without effort.

“I don’t think Gahyeon had ever seen a healthy relationship before she met the six of us,” Handong explains. “We’re all pretty affectionate people, and it plays a crucial role in each of our relationships. Gahyeon isn’t used to seeing or experiencing anything like it; I feel like if we were to stop showing something as important as casual, easy affection, it would make her feel _less_ comfortable with the idea of it, not more.”

Yubin nods slowly. “That makes sense.”

She tilts her head to the side, her smile turning playful. “Selfishly, I think it would be very hard to stop kissing you for an undetermined amount of time, too.”

Handong laughs.

“I think so, too.”

She moves in smoothly, ducking her head and pressing a quick kiss to Yubin’s lips. Handong regretfully breaks the kiss before she can get too carried away, turns around to take Yubin’s clothes from the counter, and passes them to her.

“Come on,” Handong smiles. “Let’s get ready. We have some Vixx ass to kick.”

**~ * ~ * ~ * ~**

Gahyeon is still fast asleep when Handong and Yubin step out of the bathroom. Handong smiles softly at the sight of her, pink hair splayed out against her pillow, eyebrows tilted up and perfect lips pouting cutely, and Handong’s heart flutters in her chest; Gahyeon looks like an angel.

“Let’s let her sleep a little longer,” Yubin whispers. “We have a long day ahead of us; she could use the rest.”

“Okay,” Handong says quietly. She doesn’t have the heart to wake Gahyeon yet anyway. The former princess has been through so much over the last few days, and Handong is loath to awaken her from one of the few semblances of peace they’ve had in what feels like weeks. 

She heads over to her suitcase, unzipping it carefully as to not make any noise, and pulls out her outfit for the raid.

Handong strips without hesitation, smirking when Yubin’s jaw slackens and her eyes simmer with scarlet want. Resisting the urge to put on a show for Yubin, Handong dresses quickly, pulling on her bra and underwear, followed by a slim black t-shirt and skintight black shorts.

As much as Handong loves dressing up, she hates being overdressed when she has to shift. Her clothes add extra mass to Nannan, and Handong prefers to be as small and compact as possible when she’s shifted, especially given the fact that she’s going to have to find her way through Vixx’s headquarters via the vents.

It seems Yubin also appreciates Handong dressing light today, because she rakes her gaze up and down Handong’s body greedily, running her tongue over the edges of her teeth. Handong’s breath hitches in her throat at the intensity in Yubin’s eyes, and she has to tear her gaze away from her girlfriend and make a huge, concentrated effort to remember exactly what she’s meant to be doing.

“How much time do we have?” Handong asks, keeping her voice low.

Yubin blinks for a moment to regain her focus and checks her watch. “We have an hour or so till we have to leave,” she says, turning to her own pile of clothes. “Just give me a sec, and we can go check on the others.”

Handong takes her turn to watch appreciatively as Yubin pulls on a black t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and her black leather jacket. The effect of all the black contrasting with Yubin’s pale skin and pink lips is stunning; she looks fierce and absolutely _infernal_ , and it takes Handong’s breath away.

“Are you ready?” Yubin asks, tucking her hands into her pockets.

“I’m good to go, yeah,” her voice would have cracked if she hadn’t been whispering, she notes dryly.

Yubin opens the door quietly, holding it open for Handong. She steps through and waits for Yubin to follow and close the door behind her, before heading towards the den.

A warm, delicious smell wafts towards them as they approach, and Handong’s stomach rumbles in response. It’s been hours since the pizza, fries and milkshake from the bowling alley, and Handong finds herself suddenly very hungry.

The den is bustling with movement; Bora and Siyeon are bickering playfully as they pull out two cases of bottled blood from a shopping bag and put them on the table, and Minji and Yoohyeon are in the kitchen, teasing each other as they make what looks like French toast.

Yubin and Handong exchange a fond look as they enter the den.

“You guys have been busy,” Yubin grins. “Can we help?”

Minji waves her off with her spatula, “everything’s already done! Come have a seat and dig in; Yoohyeon and I made a ton.”

“Thanks, guys,” Handong smiles. “Let me at least bring the plates to the table, though, at least I can help with that.”

“Okay,” Yoohyeon beams. She finishes sprinkling icing sugar over a crooked tower of French toast and then turns to her girlfriend, smiling mischievously.

“Kim Yoohyeon, don’t you da –” Minji’s voice breaks in a combination of a scream and a laugh as Yoohyeon turns the icing sugar dispenser on her.

Handong snorts, covering her mouth with her hand. Bora isn’t so subtle, she bursts into laughter, nearly knocking over one of the bottles of blood. Siyeon and Yubin laugh, too, as they watch tiny flakes of sugar land on Minji’s upturned face, tilted high to avoid getting any in her hair. Laughing and sputtering, Minji attempts to wipe the sugar off her face and only succeeds in smearing it across her cheeks and nose, making an even bigger mess.

Laughing brightly, Yoohyeon steps in. Setting the dispenser on the counter, she reaches up to brush the sugar off Minji’s face, her movements light and gentle. Minji’s gaze turns soft and affectionate as she looks up at Yoohyeon.

“You’d better clean up your mess,” Minji pouts good-naturedly.

“I always do,” Yoohyeon’s smile turns from playful to wicked. Leaning in, she licks a line up Minji’s jaw and cheekbone, humming at the sweetness of the sugar on her tongue. “See?”

Minji chokes on air, her cheeks flushing pink. Bora laughs even harder, her signature cackle filling the air.

“Yah,” Minji half-heartedly attempts to protest, but her eyes flutter shut as Yoohyeon’s tongue sweeps over her face again, this time over her other cheek and temple. She grips Yoohyeon’s shoulder for support, flushing even deeper.

“I’ve got you,” Yoohyeon smirks crookedly, before licking a final line over Minji’s lips and chin. Minji’s whimpers audibly, attempting to chase Yoohyeon’s mouth with hers, but Yoohyeon pulls away with a cheeky wink.

“You taste so good,” Yoohyeon murmurs, running her thumb over Minji’s wet lower lip. “Sweetest girl.”

The plate Minji’s holding shatters.

Glass shards fall to the ground, scattering on the tiles. Bora drops to the floor, wheezing with laughter, and Siyeon sits down hard in one of the chairs by the table, cracking up. Yubin laughs, making a show of covering her eyes with her hands, and Handong just laughs harder.

Peals of laughter erupts from Yoohyeon as she presses a quick kiss to Minji’s lips, before kneeling on the floor and beginning to pick up the glass.

Yubin rushes over to help, still grinning. She steps carefully to avoid landing on any of the shards, and joins Yoohyeon on the floor.

“Yah, Kim Yoohyeon!” Minji’s covering her face with her hands, shoulder shaking as she laughs. “What a tease, you little devil!”

Minji joins Yoohyeon and Yubin on the floor with a resigned, good-natured sigh.

“I’m taller than you, Minji-ah,” Yoohyeon teases, deadpan.

The two of them begin to bicker playfully over their height difference, which is really only barely a centimeter, and Handong thinks that now might be a good time to wake Gahyeon.

“I’ll be right back,” Handong says and heads back into the hallway leading to the bedrooms, as Siyeon pulls Bora up from the floor and Yoohyeon makes a particularly good point about how the extra centimeter in her and Minji’s height difference belongs to her.

Gahyeon is still fast asleep when Handong reenters their room. She’s moved a little in the few minutes since Handong and Yubin had left; she’s curled up around one of the pillows, as if she’s realized that nobody is in the bed for her to cuddle and has chosen the next best thing.

“Gahyeon-ah,” Handong says quietly, reaching out to brush pink strands of Gahyeon’s hair out of her face. “It’s time to wake up.”

Gahyeon sighs and shifts, curling up to her pillow even tighter, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Baby,” the term of endearment slips from Handong’s lips breathlessly before she can stop it. The mattress dips under her weight as she climbs into the bed next to her girlfriend, reaching out to smooth the little frown lines between Gahyeon’s eyebrows with her fingers. “I’m sorry to wake you,” Handong sighs, stroking Gahyeon’s hair, “but we have to get going.”

Gahyeon’s eyes flutter open. She blinks sleepily as she focuses up at Handong.

“Good morning,” Gahyeon’s voice is rough with sleep, but the edges of her lips curl up in a soft smile.

“Good morning to you, too,” Handong smiles back, affection blooming in her chest.

“This is. . .” Gahyeon pauses as she searches for the words, “a very nice way to wake up.” Her smile widens, and she begins to sit up, rubbing her eyes with her hand.

Handong scoots backwards a bit to give Gahyeon space to move.

“I’m glad.”

“How much time do we have before we need to go?” Gahyeon asks, yawning.

“A little less than an hour,” Handong says. “Minji and Yoohyeon made us breakfast, and Bora and Siyeon found us blood to drink before we head out.”

“That sounds amazing,” Gahyeon climbs out of bed and heads over to her backpack to grab her clothes and toiletries. “Just give me a few minutes; I’ll be right there.”

“Perfect,” Handong smiles. “See you soon.”

Gahyeon waves sleepily, stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Handong doesn’t want Gahyeon to feel pressured by waiting for her, so she decides to go back to the den and survey the carnage.

The den is surprisingly calmer when Handong returns; the table is set, and Bora, Siyeon, and Minji are sitting, talking quietly, and Yubin and Yoohyeon are carefully bringing plates filled with steaming stacks of French toast to the table.

“Dong, come have a seat,” Minji waves her over.

Handong pads over to the table and sits down next to Siyeon. Once the toast is on the table, Yubin comes to sit of Handong’s other side.

“Thanks for making breakfast, guys,” Handong says.

“You’re welcome,” Minji smiles widely. She turns to Yoohyeon. “No thanks to you for decorating me with it.”

Yoohyeon pouts, the corners of her lips twitching with the effort of holding back a grin.

“Where did you guys get the blood from?” Yubin asks, carefully taking a piece of toast from the tower.

“Minji and I met some vampires while we were out yesterday,” Yoohyeon explains, taking some toast for Minji and then for herself. “They gave us a card for a place to buy some.”

“They asked us to pick some up while they made breakfast,” Bora finishes through a mouthful of bread.

“Thank you, guys, too!” Yubin says.

“It wasn’t far,” Siyeon smiles and takes two pieces of toast for herself. “It was nice to go on a little adventure.”

Bora nods, her mouth full again.

As Handong begins to eat, Gahyeon joins them in the den. Her outfit is identical to Yubin’s, black skinny jeans and t-shirt and leather jacket, and the way the pink of her hair practically glows in contrast to the all-black of her outfit has Handong nearly choking, her eyes widening with admiration.

“Good morning, everyone,” she smiles a little sheepishly. “Sorry for sleeping so late.”

“Don’t apologize,” Yubin offers her a smile and gestures for her to sit down next to her. “Dong and I wanted you to sleep in, at least a little.”

Gahyeon smiles softly as she sits down, her cheeks dusted with pink, “thank you.”

“Of course,” Yubin links their fingers and squeezes Gahyeon’s hand.

Gahyeon picks up the bottled blood in front of her with her free hand, examining the bottle curiously.

“How come there’s no resonance?” She asks, tilting her head to the side

“Not all blood has a resonance,” Bora swallows the last of her toast. “And we figured it would be best to go into the mission with clear minds, you know?”

Gahyeon nods. “I understand.” She looks around at her clanmates, “thanks for getting everything ready,” she says gratefully.

Everyone choruses a semblance of “you’re welcome,” and Gahyeon smiles.

When the last of the toast is finished and the last drops of the blood have been consumed, the seven vampires grab the last of their equipment for the mission and head outside. Minji and Yoohyeon order two Ubers for the seven of them, tapping away nervously at their phones.

It only takes a few minutes before the Ubers arrive, their headlights gleaming in the dark. Minji, Yoohyeon, Bora, and Siyeon take one, and Handong, Yubin, and Gahyeon take the other.

The ride passes in quick flashes, as adrenaline begins to hum in Handong’s veins. Nannan is eager today; he presses in on Handong’s subconscious, playful and ready. Handong’s fingers itch with it, ready for the transformation, and Handong has to resist the urge to half-shift in the car.

 _Patience,_ Handong chides. _We’re almost there._

Sensing the additional nervous energy, Yubin links their fingers, pressing a kiss to Handong’s temple, and Handong leans into her, letting the calm steadiness of Yubin’s presence wash over her.

They arrive at Vixx’s headquarters before Handong can fully relax. As she steps out of the car, followed by her girlfriends, Handong’s heart-rate speeds up, blood pounding between her ears. She takes measured, deep breaths in an attempt to remain calm, tilting her head back to look up at the sky.

Moments later, the three of them are joined by the rest of their clan. They huddle together in a small circle, wary of being overheard by passers-by.

“Okay,” Minji tucks her hands into the pockets of her blazer. “You all know the plan; you all know your points of entry. Let’s make this quick, okay? In and out.” Minji meets each of their gazes in turn, her eyes simmering with liquid flame. “We aren’t what they made us.” Her eyes linger on Bora and Siyeon, who return the sentiment with feral grins that are barely more than bared teeth. “Let’s take these motherfuckers down.”

Handong shakes out her arms, energy surging through her. Bora bounces on her toes, siren already beginning to spill off of her in heady waves. Siyeon and Yubin crack their knuckles; Gahyeon twists her fingers together into tangled knits, and Minji removes her hands from her pockets and snaps her fingers a few times, like she’s making sure her flint sparks before striking it. The fake Vixx tattoo Handong had drawn on the back of Minji’s hand before they left flashes in the dim light.

“I’ll see you all at the top.”

The circle breaks.

“See you at the top,” Bora and Siyeon look them over fondly, before linking fingers and heading off to the left side of Vixx’s headquarters, to the entrance of Starlight.

Handong, Yubin, and Gahyeon wait for Yoohyeon to say goodbye to Minji. Yoohyeon kisses Minji’s forehead, the tip of her nose, and then her lips, before squeezing her hand.

“Remember, Minji-ah,” Yoohyeon murmurs, “it’s just a building. It’s just a marker on your hand. They don’t have anything over you anymore. No power, no influence; you are yours and yours alone.”

Minji’s calm demeanor wavers and cracks just a little, just enough to be visible. She inhales sharply, leaning into her girlfriend.

“Just a building,” she breathes shakily. “I won’t forget.”

“That’s my girl.”

Minji throws herself into Yoohyeon’s arms tucking her head into Yoohyeon’s neck.

“I love you.”

Yoohyeon wraps her arms around her. “I love you, too. Be careful, okay?”

“Always.” The raw promise and sheer emotion in Minji’s voice gives Handong chills.

Minji and Yoohyeon break apart, and in an instant, Minji’s cold, confident aura returns. Her shoulders straighten, her head held high, and her eyes gleam with power and assurance.

Minji takes a deep breath, and approaches the front entrance of Vixx’s headquarters.

“That’s my cue,” Yoohyeon smiles wryly, taking one last look at her girlfriend, before leading Handong, Yubin, and Gahyeon over to the right side of the building.

As the four of them step into the alley, shadows bleeding into the atmosphere around them, the nervous energy pulsing through Handong’s veins changes to something darker, more primal.

Her pace shifts from quick, light footsteps, to a liquid, cocky lope, like all of a sudden, the confidence of an apex predator has settled into her skin. A smirk curls at the edges of Handong’s lips, power singing through her veins, and she knows her clanmates feel it too, because they’re adjusting their stances in the same lazy, cocksure way.

 _There you go,_ the Beast Within purrs with wicked satisfaction. _Now you’re ready._

Handong takes a deep, shuddering breath to remain in control; Nannan is pressing into her mind again, urgent and eager, but she can’t give in just yet.

The four vampires stop in front of Handong’s chosen grate.

“Are you ready?” Yoohyeon asks, pulling out her phone.

“Just a minute,” Handong says, heightened emotion humming in her chest.

She turns to her girlfriends, looking the two of them over. Gahyeon’s pink hair is tied and hidden under a black baseball cap. A combination of confidence and nerves writhes in her eyes. Handong embraces her tightly, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

“Stick together, okay?” Handong cups Gahyeon’s face in her hands and meets her gaze intently. “You’ve got this.”

Gahyeon swallows hard and nods.

“I’ve got this,” she repeats, her voice strong and sure.

“Good,” Handong turns to Yubin. “And you,” Handong kisses Yubin’s lips, quick but soft. “ _Watch out for her, and be careful_ ,” she says in Mandarin.

Yubin smiles crookedly, affection softening the confidence in her eyes.

“ _You, too_ ,” Yubin answers in the same language, running her fingers over the chain around Handong’s neck that the token hangs from. She switches back to Korean for Gahyeon’s benefit. “Will I see you at the top?”

“If you’re very perceptive, you might,” Handong teases. “I’ll be hidden, but ready to step in if things get out of hand.”

“Us, too,” Yubin grins, “minus the hidden part. You’re our secret weapon.”

Handong winks.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Yoohyeon speaks up regretfully, “but I have to loop the cameras now, before Minji and the others get inside.”

“It’s okay,” Handong waves her off. “Off you go,” she smiles at Yubin and Gahyeon. “I’ll see you inside.”

“Okay.”

Yubin and Gahyeon glance at each other, take a deep breath, and head deeper into the shadows.

Handong watches them fondly for a moment, before turning back to Yoohyeon.

The tall jack taps away at her phone, her fingers a blur.

“Are you ready?” Yoohyeon asks, her thumb hovering over her screen.

Handong nods, shaking out her arms again.

“I’m good to go.”

“Perfect.” Yoohyeon taps the _confirm_ button, and waits for a moment. She looks up at Handong. “Cameras are looped.”

“Awesome,” Handong kneels on the asphalt, sliding her fingers between the slats of her grate and pulling it open. “I’ll see you inside.”

The brightness of Yoohyeon’s smile contrasts starkly with the deep scarlet power simmering in her eyes.

“See you there.”

Handong cracks her neck to the side, takes a deep breath, and allows the power to flow through her unimpeded by restraint. It spills through her veins, blooms in her chest, curls her lips into a lazy smirk, and then, when the Beast Within is crowing its approval, enticing her deeper into the throes of its seductive influence, Handong invites Nannan in.

 _Come on, Nannan,_ Handong croons, her smirk widening. _It’s time to play._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many, many things in my life conspired to delay this update; chief among them extreme academic and writing burnout. I'm very sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long. Thank you all so much for your patience, I really hope this chapter was worth the wait!
> 
> We are now in the third arc of this fic! Each of the following chapters leading up to the carnage will take place at approximately the same time, and detail each member's thoughts and experiences as they infiltrate Vixx's headquarters and get into position for the final showdown.
> 
> As always, please feel free to follow me on twitter @abracadami for writing updates and lots of gay-panicking over Dreamcatcher! And don't forget to stream Odd Eye on Bugs, Genie, and YouTube, and vote for dc on Mubeat! Let's get our girls their first win!!


	6. Shadow Floats

Despite the countless times Yoohyeon’s seen Handong and Siyeon shift, the visual of the transformation passing over them like molten liquid never fails to take Yoohyeon’s breath away. Even now, with the Beast Within’s voice dripping between her ears like honey, the nerves writhing in her belly, and the vicious, predatory excitement at _finally_ getting to take Vixx down after everything they’ve done, the effect of Handong’s transformation leaves her momentarily awed.

Handong reaches out with a paw to tap at Yoohyeon’s foot, a wordless _good luck._ Yoohyeon smiles, crouching down to scratch Handong between her little ears, and then watches as Handong turns around and leaps inside the vent. Yoohyeon tilts her head to peek inside, but Handong is already out of view.

Yoohyeon closes the grate behind Handong, sealing it tightly to make sure it looks just as it had before they came. She climbs back to her feet.

_My turn._

Heart pounding in her chest, Yoohyeon heads further into the alley. Her entry point is only a little further from Handong’s, so it just takes her a few extra moments of walking to arrive. She tilts her head up, noting with relief that the window is still open.

Yoohyeon takes a deep breath to calm her nerves and reassert her control over the Beast Within. She adjusts the position of the small bag on her back, braces herself, and gathers her power, adrenaline thrumming through her veins, and –

“Hey!”

The voice is deep and angry, practically a snarl.

_Shit._

Yoohyeon freezes in place, alarm and panic flooding her system. She whips her head around to see a male figure standing at the entrance of the alleyway. Shadows cast from the streetlamps curl and arch around him, giving his silhouette an eerie, otherworldly glow.

Yoohyeon opens her mouth so say something, anything to avert suspicion. Before she can even form the words, the man raises his hands, and, to Yoohyeon’s horror, two fireballs erupt into the air above his open palms.

Yoohyeon’s jaw drops.

 _He’s out in the open and just – he just_ broke _the Masquerade?_

Panic crashes through Yoohyeon’s veins, coppery on the back of her tongue. She holds her hands up in front of her in a desperate attempt to placate him.

_He can’t be doing this; he can’t!_

The implications of being caught in the open like this, the Masquerade ripped aside for the world to see, are unfathomable.

 _Do I fight him?_ Can _I fight him? If we get caught, I –_

Yoohyeon stumbles backwards, her mind racing, thoughts dissolving into incoherency with the sheer intensity of her panic.

The vampire, Vixx, by the look of him, advances on Yoohyeon, his face glowing orange-red from the light of his fire. He bares his fangs in a snarl, flames reflecting off his teeth, and the way the darkness of the alley sinks into him, the way the firelight lights up the outline of his face and casts deep, arching shadows across his cheekbones and nose, the way his eyes gleam with raging insanity, has him looking absolutely _demonic_.

 _I’m going to have to fight him,_ Yoohyeon realizes with dawning horror. _I can’t let him be out in the open like this. I can’t let him ruin it all._

Yoohyeon takes a deep breath to gather her thoughts and focus, and backs up further into the alleyway to decrease visibility for anyone who might pass by the entrance.

As the vampire advances further, fireballs expanding above his palms, Yoohyeon runs through her combat options, her mind racing. He’s too far gone for siren to work; Yoohyeon doubts she’d be able to even counter all that rage, let alone overpower it.

Hand-to-hand is her only option.

Focused and resolute now that she knows what to do, Yoohyeon lowers her hands and drops into her fighting stance, fists up to protect her face, feet positioned in an L-shape for balance and versatility.

She’s just in time.

The vampire’s snarl widens into a feral grin. His fireballs flare and swell, flames licking at the night air. He thrusts his arm forward, and the first fireball rockets towards Yoohyeon like a comet.

Yoohyeon throws herself into the air, to the side and _up_ , and gravity slips away. Arms out to the sides and palms down for balance, she catches herself and slows her momentum so she’s hovering in place, over twenty feet above the pavement.

The vampire growls in frustration, gnashing his fangs, and sends the second fireball hurtling towards Yoohyeon.

Yoohyeon drops this time, allowing gravity to take control just enough for her to fall out of the fireball’s blast range. She catches herself a second time, and rises back up, power and anger pulsing through her veins.

For the last year and a half, Yoohyeon’s rage at Vixx has burned slow and quiet, intensifying with each of Minji’s waking nightmares, with every tear and every sob of Minji’s guilt, with each searing, maddening thought of the sheer agony and terror that Siyeon and Bora had been subjected to. It’s simmered and simmered, and Yoohyeon has shoved it deep, deep down in the darkest corners of her heart, so she could take care of Minji and soothe her pain, but now? Now, with a member of Vixx attacking her out in the open unprovoked, preventing her from reaching the rest of her clan and carrying out their mission, Yoohyeon’s rage explodes from within, coursing through her limbs, lighting every nerve with scorching heat.

The Beast Within chuckles in her ear, voice warm and deep, dripping with arrogance.

“ _Look at that,”_ the Beast almost sounds impressed at the sheer intensity of her wrath. “ _Don’t hold back, now. He’s waiting for you.”_

Yoohyeon’s lips curve in a wicked grin.

“I would never.”

The vampire summons more fireballs, sending them streaking through the night at Yoohyeon, one after the other.

Yoohyeon’s grin widens.

_He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with._

“ _No_ ,” the Beast agrees, “ _he doesn’t_.”

Yoohyeon throws herself up and to the right, then down and left and back again, twisting her body in midair like a flying acrobat. Gravity is _nothing_ , a plaything, a tool to be utilized at just the right moment. For a creature trapped on the ground for the near-entirety of her life, for a creature incapable of true flight, Yoohyeon _soars_ ; and the air and night sky are hers.

The stars and moon wink and blur as she flies, catching herself midair after each sudden drop as gravity reclaims her, and she sheds its power over her all over again.

This isn’t Yoohyeon’s first time fighting a fire elementalist; she’s practiced against Minji more times than she can count, and through the wrath blazing through her as she dodges the vampire’s flames, she knows what to do.

_Close the distance._

Yoohyeon maneuvers towards him horizontally, keeping her height, and ducks the fireballs he continues to send her way. The closer she gets, the easier it is to see how fatigued he’s becoming. His face and neck shine with sweat; his chest heaves with the force of the exertion of continuing to use up his power so rapidly without thought of conservation or strategy.

Yoohyeon smirks; keeping herself in the air is almost effortless, and the strain from the extraneous dodging has her just barely out of breath.

The vampire continues to attack Yoohyeon recklessly, fangs bared and eyes crazed, heedless of his rapidly-draining power. The fireballs are much smaller now, no longer a blazing orange-red, but a quiet, flickering yellow.

_Perfect._

Yoohyeon drops from the air like a stone. Her attacker barely has time to look up in horror, fireballs sputtering in his surprise, before Yoohyeon lands directly on top of him, crushing him to the ground with all the gathered power of her fall.

His skull hits the ground with a sickening _crack_ , limbs crumpling gruesomely between Yoohyeon’s combat boots and the pavement. His eyes are wide and sightless. Blood flows from his hairline down his forehead and over his eyelids, seeping into the corners of his eyes and dying the whites of them scarlet red.

Breathing hard, Yoohyeon steps off the vampire’s body, adrenaline and savage glee at her victory humming in her veins. She surveys her attacker’s corpse, grinning with primal satisfaction how thoroughly she’s absolutely _ruined_ him. Broken bones protrude visibly, skin torn in bloody strips. His mouth hangs open in a perpetual, silent scream. One of his fangs is fragmented, and blood patters from where his skull had impacted the ground, forming a puddle underneath his head.

_Fuck._

Through the red haze blanketing Yoohyeon’s vision, through the victory lighting her up inside, through the intoxicating scent of spilled blood, and through the Beast Within’s influence beckoning her deeper into its seductive throes, the sight of the expanding pool of blood snaps her back into awareness.

The mission, their raid requires an absolute zero footprint. There can’t be any evidence that she – or any of them – was here. The cameras have been looped, but it doesn’t change the fact that there’s a broken, bleeding body at Yoohyeon’s feet.

She has to get rid of him. But how? She can’t incinerate him like Minji can, or have the ground open up and swallow him whole like Yubin or Gahyeon can. Mind racing, knowing she could be discovered at any second, she realizes she’s going to have to be creative.

 _Wait,_ Yoohyeon thinks. _Aren’t there disposal bins at loading zones? Maybe they’ll have something I can bury him under._

Decided, Yoohyeon bends down to pick up the body of her attacker, wincing in disgust as she lifts him and shattered bones move and shift unnaturally under the pressure of her fingers and arms.

Gingerly, Yoohyeon heads towards the loading zone, sighing with relief as the shadows of the alleyway conceal her completely from view from the entrance.

As Yoohyeon walks, the adrenaline begins to withdraw into her bones. The red haze lifts from her eyes, and by the time she turns the corner and enters the loading zone, her limbs are cold and her arms are shaking from the withdrawal. Her heartbeat throbs between her ears, and she’s physically unable tear her eyes away from the broken body in her arms, from the way his blood drips from his skull onto her hands, from the way his sightless eyes stare up at her almost accusingly.

This vampire is not Yoohyeon’s first kill. Her first time killing had been at the masquerade; she had driven more courtiers into the flames than she could have counted, and yet, it had been different. There was a distance between her and her victims at the palace; she hadn’t touched a single one physically. They died due to the seductive influence of siren and what she commanded them to do under it.

Despite acting in self-defense and in the defense of maintaining the Masquerade and the secrecy of Dreamcatcher’s mission, this vampire had been killed under _her_ hands, crushed under _her_ feet, under the force of _her_ purposeful fall from the sky.

Yoohyeon’s breath stutters in her throat, coming faster and faster, the blood chilling in her veins at the realization. She nearly drops the body, her fingers and arms suddenly weak and numb.

She swallows hard, suppressing a horrified sob, and squeezes her eyes closed, forcing herself to continue breathing steadily.

_I can’t – I can’t go into shock here. Not here, not now. They’re waiting for me._

_Minji is waiting for me._

The thought of Minji, the love of her life, walking back into Vixx’s headquarters with her head held high, eyes flinty and blazing bright with determination after everything they’d done to her has warmth surging back in Yoohyeon’s chest, soothing her shaking limbs and frayed nerves.

_I have to get to her._

Renewed with fresh resolve, Yoohyeon reopens her eyes and frantically scans the loading zone for any sort of disposal bin.

To her relief, she spots one at the far side to her right, and sprints over towards it as fast as she can. Carefully, she places the body on the ground, and then lifts the bin open. It’s almost full, brimming with cardboard boxes and wooden crates, and Yoohyeon has to push the junk to the sides to carve out a space for the body to be hidden.

She has to work fast. She’s already lost so much time during the fight; she has to get inside the headquarters and up to the meeting room as quickly as possible.

When the dip in the junk is deep enough, Yoohyeon picks up the body a second time, preparing to hoist it in and cover it up. As she does, fresh blood spills from the vampire’s fractured head, coating her arms, and filling her nose with a delicious, intoxicating scent, like a warm campfire suffused with pine.

Yoohyeon shudders, suddenly aware of how much power she herself had expended in the fight. With the adrenaline flowing, it had felt effortless to maintain her rudimentary flight, to duck and dodge and drop and rise again for an extended period of time, but now that it’s faded away, the exhaustion begins to crawl through her veins. Yoohyeon is a powerful vampire, one of the strongest jacks, but even she has her limits.

Her stomach rumbles, eyes suddenly glued to the streaks of blood tracking down the vampire’s face.

 _“Go on,”_ the Beast Within croons, voice like molten honey. “ _Imagine how good he’ll taste. And the power running through him? Even better.”_

Yoohyeon can’t resist; she’s expended too much of her power, and she knows the night isn’t even close to ending. She’ll need every iota of strength to carry out the mission.

Almost in a daze, she lifts the vampire’s wrist, tilting his inner wrist to face her, and bites down.

_“That’s it.”_

The moment Yoohyeon begins to feed and the first drops of blood hit her stomach, power strikes her like a tine of lightning, lighting her up inside.

And the taste, _fuck_ ; it’s different from human blood, but just as heady and intoxicating, flashing heat and fire through her veins like a spark igniting deep inside.

Yoohyeon wrenches herself away with the last dregs of her self-control, breathing hard and marveling at the way her power thrums through her body, tinged with a new type of heat, reminiscent of the supernatural warmth in Minji’s body, the way her fire powers ensure that she always runs warm.

She’s heard of vampires feeding on each other for various sorts of reasons, violent and otherwise, but it’s the first time Yoohyeon’s ever experienced it for herself, and she finds herself amazed at the sensations swirling inside her, the way the heat merges with her own power. The effect is temporary, but it’ll give her an edge in the upcoming fight.

She can’t afford to waste it.

Yoohyeon steps up to the dumpster once more, and carefully places the body inside, covering it up with the extra junk she’d pushed up to the sides. Once the body is completely obscured, Yoohyeon closes the lid of the dumpster, adjusts the backpack on her back, and runs back toward her entry point with vampiric speed in her haste.

Yoohyeon looks herself over, wincing at her blood-soaked sleeves. At least she’s wearing black; hopefully the scent won’t draw too much attention once she gets inside.

Yoohyeon’s heart begins to race once more as she braces herself to float up and enter Vixx’s headquarters. She prays her delay won’t affect the mission; she’s at least ten minutes late, and the others must be waiting.

Yoohyeon looks up at her entry point, resolute and ready to take Vixx down, renewed determination and focus narrowing her eyes.

_Here we go._

Yoohyeon leaps into the air and flies upwards as fast as she can. With the boost of power from feeding from her attacker, her flight is smoother and more rapid than usual, and Yoohyeon is grateful for the speed. She can’t afford to waste any more time.

The wind whips at her hair and stings her eyes, but Yoohyeon barely notices; the sensation of casting off gravity and levitating is intoxicating and elating, and despite the Beast Within’s predatory influence beginning to bloom in her once more, preparing her for the fight ahead, Yoohyeon smiles.

 _“Look at all that power,”_ the Beast Within grins. “ _They won’t know what hit them.”_

 _No,_ Yoohyeon agrees, baring her teeth in a feral smile. _They won’t._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone! It's been a little while; I hope you enjoyed the oneshots I posted over the last couple weeks between this chapter of rod and the last! It was a good break for me, I think, those oneshots were my first in almost half a year, and it was really nice to take a beak from the multichap mindset.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this update! It's a little shorter than I was hoping for, but I'll try to make the next chapter a little longer for more content for you all. We are now over halfway finished the second - and final - part of the Masquerade series; I can't believe there are only four chapters left to go! I can't wait to show you all what I've been planning!
> 
> Thank you all for reading! And, as always, please feel free to follow me on Twitter @abracadami for fic-related tweets and updates, and frequent gay-panicking over Dreamcatcher!

**Author's Note:**

> First off, I wanna give a huge, huge thank you to sowish and boxxsaltz for giving me advice and listening to me stress about the gahdadong dtr scene; I couldn't have done it without them. (Also check out their fics, they're incredible!)
> 
> Second, I'm super excited to dive back into the world of Masquerade and bring you all the sequel. I've had this planned almost since I first started writing Masquerade, so I can't wait to show you what I've had planned!
> 
> I can't promise I'll be able to update regularly, due to school and other commitments, like my weekly dnd campaign, but I'll do my best to make sure you aren't waiting too long between chapters.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! As always, please feel free to follow me on Twitter @precisiyeon for lots of fic-writing tweets and updates, as well as frequent screaming over Dreamcatcher!


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